Attack on Alchemy (original)
by Paint-The-World-Mad
Summary: I'm rewriting this, this is the original draft, if anyone still wants to have it around. "After he is trapped in 1920's Europe, Edward runs into his Aunt Karla who he hasn't seen since he was a year old. Together, they try to return to their world, and are instead rocketed into a horrific time neither of them could have imagined."
1. Chapter 1

(A/N) I just want to clarify, this fic has NOTHING to do with FMA Brotherhood. It starts seven months to a year after the end of the 2003 version of FMA, and almost immediately after the end of the first season of SNK (Attack on Titan). Obviously there are spoilers if you haven't finished either of these series. Enjoy! **additionally-** the new version can be found by going through my profile. The story is just called Attack on Alchemy.

* * *

EDWARD

The jolt of the train woke him. Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and sat up. His silver pocket watch sat on the suitcase next to him. He flipped it open. 6:47. Not a bad time to be up, his stop was at eight. Yawning, he braided his long, blond hair down his back and dressed himself. He'd spent the last seven months dedicated to getting back. Back to the other side of the gate, back to Al. He was close now, he could feel it. He'd compiled the works of many scientists and engineers and now he only needed a small amount of information before he could test his device. The only other time he'd passed through the gate "backwards" was when his alternate self had died. That had provided the energy required to re-open the gate. However, this time his body had also been pulled through, automail and all. Not even the death toll of the Great War could provide the energy he needed. Quietly, so as to not disturb the man sleeping in the bunk across from him, Ed pulled out the blueprints he's made. If the man he was going to see had the information he needed, the device would be up and running, maybe within the week. He needed to confirm that there were no major design flaws.

The contraption was not elegant in design. An opaque white booth of sorts housed both the computer needed to control the device, and a space for one, maybe two, people to stand in. The computer was large, bulky, and fragile, which is why it required the case. It also needed a considerable amount of power to run, power which, if used correctly, could very possibly re-open the gate. That power was the last aspect he needed. The man he was going to see had theories of a "fusion" of atoms which provided a huge energy release. He was thought to be a madman, but Ed found hope in his work.

Everything in the design checked out. It seemed like it would hold, and force the gate open. Ed carefully slipped the plans back into his suitcase as the other man stirred. He rolled over and looked at Ed.

"You're up early, aren't you, - what was it?"

"Edward"

"Edward," the man nodded, "You seem like a strange kid, traveling around without your mum and pop." Ed looked at his feet. He didn't want to say it out loud, but the words stung. His mom was the reason he was in this situation in the first place. If she hadn't died- his gloved hands clenched into fists. He couldn't blame his mom; really he couldn't blame anyone but himself. His fists relaxed when he noticed the other man staring.

"It's not that strange, I just needed the freedom."

The other man nodded, skeptical, but without the desire to press. "You getting off at eight?" Ed nodded. "Well, good luck with whatever you're doing." The man smiled, and Ed reservedly returned it.

Soon after, the train slowed and skidded to a halt. Ed got off and began shoving his way through the busy station. Suddenly he stopped short. Standing not a meter away was his mom. Or at least, someone who looked almost exactly like her. They had the same eyes, the same face, the same gentle smile. The only difference was that her hair was slightly darker. Ed shook his head, he knew there would likely be duplicates of everyone he knew, the fact that she looked like his mom didn't mean anything. He glanced back at her, and their eyes met. "Hohenheim?" she mouthed.

Ed was startled. How did she know that name? The woman pushed her way through the crowd to him. She grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. She quickly dropped her hands and looked at her feet. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You just look like someone I know." She looked up at him and smiled slightly, "Karla, by the way."

"Edward, and you're fine." Looking at her closer, Ed noticed that she was young, maybe a year or two older than himself. Her eyes clouded over.

"Edward? That was his name… but it's only been a year…" she muttered. Looking back at him, she said, "Do you want to move away from here? I have a couple questions."

"Sure," Ed nodded, and they maneuvered out of the station and onto the considerably less busy street.

"Okay, this is going to sound like a seriously weird question, and I promise I'm not crazy, but what's your mother's name?"

"W-what?"

"I'm sorry; I know that's a strange thing to ask."

"Trisha," Ed answered. Karla looked up at him. "My mom's name was Trisha."

"Trisha? Oh my god, you're Ed Elric, aren't you? But, you weren't even a year old…"

"Okay, who the heck are you?" Ed demanded, "How do you know my name, how do you know my mom, and why do you look like her?"

"Ed, Ed, calm down," She put her hands on his shoulders and looked down into his face, "Ed, I'm Trisha's younger sister. I got pulled into this world when you were just a baby," confusion clouded her face, "But I've been here less than a year…"

"I don't think the timeline matches up. It was 1914 when I left my, our world, and it's 1921 here. So it's very likely that fifteen years in one world could only be a few months in the other," Ed theorized.

Karla thought, "Yeah that makes sense. But fifteen years? What happened? How's Trisha?"

Ed looked down at his feet, "Mom died seven years ago. Fever. We couldn't do anything." His eyes watered, and threatened to overflow. Karla gathered him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she said into his hair, tears wetting her cheeks. Typically, he wouldn't have let her hold him like this, like a child. But now was different. Though he had no memory of her, she was familiar and comforting. For the first time in seven months, Ed relaxed. She pulled back and held him at arm's length. She smiled, her wet cheeks glistening in the morning sun, "You look like your father."

"More than I'd like," Ed grimaced. The thought of his father still made him uneasy.

Karla's face fell. "Ed, what happened?"

"He left her. Right after Al was born he left and didn't come back for fourteen years. FOURTEEN YEARS." His fists and jaw clenched, he glared at a spot on the ground past his feet.

"Oh Ed, I'm so sorry," Karla's eyes were full of sadness. "Ed did you, did you try to bring your mom back?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Ed spat through clenched teeth.

Karla nodded sympathetically, "We can go to my house if you want." Ed gave a short nod of consent.

…

"You can leave your coat there," Karla gestured to a tall metal coat rack. Hesitantly, Ed removed his coat and hung it up. Karla motioned him over to the small living room and sat him down. "Ed, I know this is a touchy subject, but I need you to tell me how you got over here."

Ed folded his arms across his chest, "I could ask you the same question."

Karla looked down at her hands. "I suppose you could, and you should," She looked back up at him. "I guess I'm going first then."

Ed sat back in his chair, arms still folded. "Yes, you are."

She sighed and looked away. "I've been studying alchemy since I was six. Trisha always encouraged it, and supported me, but she never wanted to try it on her own. I loved it. I loved having the power to change things, it… it made me feel wonderful. When I was sixteen I met a wonderful young man. He was a few years older than me, but we didn't care. We were going to get married but…" Karla's face tensed and she clutched her skirt in her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I was so bitter. Trisha had just had you, she seemed so happy. I wanted that. So… so I tried to bring him back. It was so stupid, but… I had to. It went wrong, horribly wrong. Something was staring back at me, but it wasn't him. It wasn't human. I turned around and there was this door, this… gate. It opened and I was pulled though. I screamed and fought, but it took me." She looked back at him, her eyes wet with unshed tears, "I ended up here." There was a moment of silence.

"I saw him."

"What?"

Ed looked up into her eyes, "Your boyfriend. I've seen him."

Karla's eyes lit up, "You have? It worked?" Ed shook his head.

"Far from that. He's a homunculus now. They don't have souls, they're not… they're not people." Karla looked sadly down at her hands.

"I guess it was for nothing then," she looked back up at Ed. "Your turn, how did you get here?"

"Um…" His face flushed red and he looked away. Karla patted his knee.

"I did it for my boyfriend, surely yours can't be worse."

"Yeah, I guess not," he sighed, "it's a really long story."

"I've got time."

"Well," he swallowed, "My mom died when I was ten. Dad left long before that, so the Rockbells took care of us. Only a few months later, Al and I started training in Alchemy with Izumi Curtis. When she let us go, we tried to bring mom back. Al…" Ed choked on the words, "Al almost died. I was able to pull his soul back from the gate and bind it to a suit of armor, but his body was gone. For four years we searched for the philosopher's stone so we could heal our bodies, but that plan backfired. A man named Scar turned Al into the philosopher's stone…" he took a shuddering breath before continuing, "I was killed and he sacrificed himself to save me. I couldn't," he shook his head as his eyes overflowed; "I couldn't let him do that. So I offered myself for his life, and now I'm here. I have no idea if I succeeded or if he ended up a damn homunculus like mom!" He pounded his fist on the arm of the chair and a choked sob escaped his throat. Teary-eyed, Karla gathered him into a hug. He'd been through too much, far too much for his age.

Finally she pulled away and looked into his tear-streaked face. "Tea?" He nodded. She stood up and walked into the kitchen. He followed, and she again noticed the uneven pattern to his steps. "Er, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you limping?" she asked as she put the kettle on the stove. Ed was taken somewhat aback.

"What? Oh yeah, that." He gave a sort of half laugh, "I was wondering when you would ask about that. Automail. I've had it since I was eleven." He pulled off his gloves to reveal one flesh hand, and one metal. "My arm and leg. It was the price I had to pay to bring Al's soul back."

Still quizzical, Karla asked, "But why are you limping?"

"Because I'm growing, and there's no one in this world who can adjust my automail. I've just been trying to wear thicker soled shoes on my left foot, but it's getting a little out of hand."

"Ah," Karla poured them both a cup, and the house was quiet while they drank.

"I think I can get back."

Karla dropped her cup onto its saucer a little harder than was probably necessary. "What?" She spluttered.

"Ever since I got here, I've been trying to get back." He glanced away quickly, "this world doesn't support alchemy, so I've been trying to use mechanical technology to reopen the gate." He grabbed the plans out of his bag, laid them out on the table, sat back down, and began explaining.


	2. Chapter 2

WINRY

"Goodnight, Al," Winry whispered as she closed the door to she sleeping boy's room. Sighing, she walked into her room and threw herself onto the bed. She rolled over and looked up at the ceiling. How long had it been? A year? No, not quite. She covered her face with her hands as a sob escaped her throat. It was hopeless, it was all hopeless. She was never going to see him again. She tried to snap out of it, he would want her to be strong, wouldn't he? _You don't even know if he's alive!_ Her thoughts taunted. Her frame shook with every breath as tears streamed down her face. Every night had been like this. Every night since Al came home alone. Alone and four years younger.

At first it was easy to convince him that Ed had been lost when they first tried to transmute their mother, but Winry's age had given it away. She had eventually followed Al when he traveled to Izumi's to study. She claimed it was because she had enjoyed the thrill of being away with Ed and Al for those months. Secretly, she knew that she wanted to come because she wanted to be there when Ed came back. _IF_ he comes back, her thoughts again taunted. _He will! He has to…_ she buried her face in her pillow.

It had been a night like this. Al had quietly slipped into her room and climbed up onto the bed with her.

 _"Winry?" she had looked up at him, face streaked with tears._

 _"Yes, Al?"_

 _"Why are you crying?" It seemed cruel to lie to him anymore._

 _"Because I miss Ed."_

 _"I'm going to bring him back, Winry."_

 _"I know you are."_

 _Al was quiet for a minute, "Winry?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"When Ed and I transmuted Mom, you were our age. Now…" he shook his head. "You're older." He looked up at her, large innocent eyes glistening in the moonlight, "Why?"_

 _She hugged him. "Al, you and Ed tried to bring Trisha back five years ago."_

 _"What? But I'm eleven!"_

 _"I know, but something happened. You died, and Ed sacrificed himself to save you."_

 _"He… transmuted me?"_

 _"Yes, but the price for your soul was the four years you two spent together traveling." She smiled then, maybe as an attempt to reassure him, maybe trying to reassure herself._

 _"I'm the reason he's gone? It was my fault?" Al's eyes welled with tears, and he buried his face in Winry's shoulder. "I'm… I'm so sorry!" he cried between sobs, "I'll bring him back for you, I promise."_

That's where Izumi had found them the next morning. Al curled up against Winry, and she with her arms wrapped protectively around him.

Still, months and months after that night, Al was no closer to being able to open the gate. Regrettably, Winry was beginning to lose hope. What if Al couldn't do it? What if Ed was gone for good? She tried to brush these thoughts from her mind as sleep claimed her.

…

The sun was long up before Winry got out of bed. Bleary-eyed, she walking into the kitchen, yawning. Izumi smiled.

"Glad you decided to join us," she lightly teased.

Winry yawned again, "Yeah, rough night." Izumi nodded, understanding in her eyes. Al bounded into the kitchen.

"Sensei! Sensei! I did it! I did it!" He grabbed her hand and puller her outside, where there was a small gasp from Izumi. They came back in, Al's eyes shining.

"Now you can have breakfast," Izumi heaped freshly scrambled eggs onto each of their plates.

"Thank you, Sensei," Winry and Al chorused, before digging in. Al finished quickly and put his plate in the sink.

"I'm going to study," he announced as he left the room. Izumi sat next to Winry, quietly sipping a cup of tea.

Winry broke the silence. "Is he close?"

"To opening the gate? I have no idea. I've only seen it once. I don't even know if you can call it into being, or if it only shows up for human transmutation." Izumi shook her head, "I'm sorry, Winry, but I just don't know."

"It's okay," Winry barely choked the words out. But of course, it wasn't. Despite Ed being an idiot, despite how oblivious he was, despite the fact that he was gone, despite everything, she still loved him. Still would give anything to have him back.

The room remained eerily quiet as the two women sat in silence. Winry stood. "Thank you for breakfast Sensei. If you need me, I'll be in the workshop."

'The Workshop' was a small shed out behind the Curtis' house that Winry had turned into her own, personal safe haven. She would spend hours on end locked inside working. Well, experimenting was probably more accurate. She only felt truly at peace when she was working with metal, wire, and electricity. Here she had access to almost anything she wanted, and time to do whatever she would like. Her current project was building automail-like armor that would automatically adjust to fit the body. It was proving to be a more difficult task than she would have liked.

"Winry?" Al's voice startled her.

"Al! Goodness Al you scared me!" She exclaimed, whacking him lightly with a wrench. He smiled shyly.

"Sorry, but the phone is for you." Winry ran inside and grabbed the phone from Izumi.

"Hello? This is Winry."

"Winry, this is Riza Hawkeye, I believe we've met before."

"Um… yes. We have. Do you need something?"

"Actually, we have a couple men who require your skills. Can you make the trip to Centeral?"

"Yes. I mean, I don't have anything else going on and… Don't you have automail mechanics up there?"

"We do, but Havoc asked for you specifically, so that's why I'm calling."

"Okay, I'll be up as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Winry."

Winry sighed and hung up the phone. "I need to go to Central. Military emergency."

"The military wants you now?" Izumi shook her head, "I can't stop you from going, but I disapprove of those pigs." Izumi glared at nothing in particular before her face softened and she turned to Winry, "Have a safe journey, and return in one piece."

"I'll help you pack!" Al exclaimed.

…

The train screeched to a halt and everyone aboard scrambled to get off. Winry grabbed her bag and was shoved off the train by the crowd. She'd been to Central a couple of times, but the most she knew about the layout of the city was 'Where to find Gracia Hughes' which wasn't entirely helpful knowledge at the moment. She did make the mental note that Elicia's birthday was soon and she should stop by. She shielded her eyes from the bright, noon sun and glanced around, hoping to see someone she recognized. Her face lit up when she saw Riza motioning her over. Winry pushed her way through the crowd to the lieutenant, her heavy duffel bag weighing her down.

Riza smiled, "I'm glad to see you made the trip safely." Winry smiled back.

"Thanks-" her arms gave out and the duffel bag crashed to the ground. Winry gazed down at it, both in defeat and annoyance. "This dumb bag is going to be the death of me though." She gave a half laugh as both she and Riza bent down to pick it up.

There was a loud ripping noise and a flash of pink sparkles and bare skin as Lt. Col. Alex Armstrong swooped in and grabbed the bag. He held it in one hand, swinging it around as he flexed. "Fear not! I am here to assist you with manners and courtesy that have been passed down in the Armstrong family for generations! I will carry this bag for you!" He exclaimed, muscles bulging.

"Um… thanks," Winry stammered, giggling. Riza smiled and rolled her eyes.

The trio climbed into Riza's car, Winry and Alex sharing the back seat. There wasn't quite enough room, and Winry found herself uncomfortably smashed between Armstrong and the door. She sighed quietly and prayed the drive would be short.

Thankfully, her prayers were answered. The car pulled up outside a tall hospital. Winry jumped out and gulped down lungfuls of clean air. She also took the opportunity to stretch her sore muscles; she hadn't had the time to do so after the train ride.

She followed Riza and Armstrong (who now had a shirt on, she didn't remember when he had had time to put one on) into the hospital. The interior of the building was blindingly white, and Winry found herself blinking in an effort to adjust to the glare.

"Typically I would have let you settle in before asking you to come work, but we really did need you as soon as possible," Riza explained, leading her to one of the hospital rooms.

"It's fine," Winry spluttered as her eyes fell on the scene before her. Jean Havoc, Lt. Fuery (as hard as she tried, she couldn't remember his first name), and four others she didn't recognize were laying in hospital beds bound in seemingly ridiculous amounts of bandages. The entire room smelled of dried blood. "What happened?" Winry exclaimed, turning to Riza, who sighed.

"Mission gone wrong. Actually, several missions. Our staged uprising in the Northern Territories accidentally caused an all-out war. On top of that, with the Fuhrer dead, the military was in shambles. Everyone wanted power, and we almost had a three-sided civil war here in Central. It was not a good time to be in a seat of power…" Riza trailed off. "Of course, that's not what you asked. This squad," she gestured to the soldiers in the room, "was spying on the Northern army's headquarters when they were attacked. Engineers in the North have developed tiny alchemic bombs that latch onto human skin and then explode, essentially blowing the body apart bit by bit. It's a miracle this many made it back alive." Winry looked up Riza, but the older woman would not meet her gaze. Winry looked back down at her feet.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to help."

Riza gave a weak smile, "I know you will, thank you." Havoc, who had previously been asleep, stirred and glanced at the door.

"Winry!" He tried to sit up, wincing. Winry walked over to his bed.

"It's good to see you, Jean. So, what happened to you?" Winry said, trying to sound at least a little chipper. She really didn't want to know what had happened. Jean pulled out his right arm from under the covers. It was completely wrapped in once-white bandages from his elbow down to a hand that was entirely too small. In fact, his entire arm tapered down at an alarming rate. Havoc noticed her slight gape and chuckled quietly.

"I've only got two fingers left." He held them up and wiggled them slightly, wincing. "Two fingers, less than half a hand, and half and arm. Not to mention I'm missing a leg from mid-thigh down," he sighed quietly, "I think I got the least of it though," he admitted, glancing over to his men.

"Am I building automail for all of them?" Winry asked.

"NO, only the ones the doctors think will survive," Jean spat. Winry looked down at his bandaged hand, or, what was left of it.

"I'm, I'm going to need to look at this," she mentioned, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What? Oh, yeah, that's fine."

"We need to be leaving," Riza said, patting Winry's shoulder.

"Can you leave my bag here?" Winry asked, turning to Alex. He nodded, and set it down at the foot of Havoc's bed. "Thank you!" she called as they walked out of the room.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours," Riza said before shutting the door. Winry turned back to the task at hand.

"This might hurt a bit, but I need to see your wound," Winry warned as she began unwraveling the blood-stained bandages. Havoc gritted his teeth and clenched the side of the bed with his uninjured hand as she peeled the cloth from his exposed muscle. The sight was grim. Not much skin remained, exposing muscle and charred bone. What remained of his wrist was obviously shattered beyond repair, and the thinner of the two bones in his arm had been completely blown away. She quietly made metal notes of all that she would need to do to reconstruct the other half of his arm.

A lump rose in her throat. How many more would die? How many more would live, only to be constantly reminded of the horrors of the past? How many friends would be lost? How many children left fatherless? Motherless? Or orphaned like herself? She bit back tears and grabbed a fresh bandage. He probably needed a new one, the other one was so blood encrusted she doubted it would do any good.

With a heavy heart, she left Havoc and moved on to the next patient. She vowed she would save as many of these men as she could. No one was dying on her watch.


	3. Chapter 3

EDWARD

The sun rose over the hills and shed an orange dawn light on the world. Ed tiptoed across the floor in an effort not to wake his aunt. Silently, he slipped on his coat and grabbed to door handle with gloved hands. As he opened it, the unoiled hinges groaned loudly. Ed cringed at the noise. Maybe she shouldn't hear. Stay asleep stay asleep There's nothing going on here! He silently pleaded. The small house was quiet, and Ed began to think that maybe she was still sleeping. He moved to take another step out the door when a half-asleep Karla shuffled down the hall.

"Ed, is that you? What are you doing?" she yawned, rubbing one of her eyes with the heel of her hand.

"Dammit," Ed muttered, "Um, nothing. Well, there's someone I need to go meet and…" he trailed off as Karla grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him into the kitchen.

"You're not going anywhere until you eat something and tell me EXACTLY what's going on," she sat him down and began fussing over breakfast. Ed sighed heavily, drumming his fingers on the table in annoyance. "You're never going to leave the house with that attitude, mister."

"You're not my mom!" Ed whined.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty damn close. Now spill." She demanded, setting a cup of coffee and some scones down in front of him. He picked at them, clearly stalling for time. That is, until he put one in his mouth. The rest were gone within seconds. Karla watched, amused.

Ed met her gaze before sighing and turning away. "I'm going to go talk to Ronald Barber. His theories about molecular fusion might be the key to opening the gate from this side." Silence hung in the air. Nervously, Ed fiddled with his cup.

"Well you could have just told me," Karla sighed, exasperatedly. Ed looked down, his face flushing red.

"I know, but-"

Karla cut him off, "but you didn't want me coming. Well guess what. You're out of luck." She stood up, chair legs scraping across the floor. Grabbing a coat, she opened the door. She turned back to Ed, who was still sitting at the table, his face seemingly frozen in a state of surprise. "Well are you coming or not?"

Ed snapped out of his daze, "Yeah. I'm coming." He got to his feet and followed Karla out the door, scowling at her the entire time.

They got onto the street and Ed took the lead. "I do have one question," Karla mentioned, her breath billowing in the crisp, spring air.

"Hmm?" Ed answered, eyes fixed ahead.

"If your goal is to open the gate, why build a booth? Wouldn't you just need to summon the gate and then walk through?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how large the energy blast will be, so the booth is there to protect me and the computer," Ed explained. He looked up at the sky still Orange with dawn. "However, the entire project rests on if this 'Ronald' guy has the answers I need. If he doesn't, and this whole 'molecular fusion' idea of his turns out to be a fluke, then I won't need a booth because the entire plan will be off!" Ed only realized he had stopped walking when Karla put a hand on his shoulder. Slightly embarrassed, he trudged on.

Neither spoke for several minutes and silence enveloped them like an uncomfortable blanket. Finally, Karla broke it. "I do think it's interesting that you took on your mother's name," she ventured into the topic uneasily, but honestly, anything was better than the silence.

Thankfully, he took up her conversation and answered, "Yeah, I think that was mostly Dad's doing. I don't know if he just didn't want his name passed on or if he didn't want his kids connected to his past. Honestly I think that is more likely. Either way, Edward Elric sounds a million times better than Edward Hohenheim." Ed grinned playfully. Karla rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. You just don't like your dad," Karla teased, shoving him. Ed sidestepped, attempting to regain his balance.

"No, no. It seriously is because Elric sounds more badass," he grinned, shoving her lightly in return. His playful grin dropped. "Dad actually said that we should take on Mom's name. It wasn't our choice. But..." mischief turned the corners of his mouth up, "since we're already on sensitive topics, what was his name?"

"Whose?"

"Your boyfriend, dummy."

"I'M OLDER THAN YOU."

"So?" Ed smirked as Karla fumed, but then gave in.

"Bradley."

Ed gaped, "That arrogant son of a bitch..." he breathed.

"What? Why?" Confusion clouded her face.

"He kept his name. Most of them didn't," Ed turned to her. "Your boyfriend became King Bradley, Fuhrer of the Military. He's married and has a 10-year-old son. He's actually the only Homunculus that ages, so, good job," Ed grinned and she scowled.

"Fuhrer? of the military? I thought you said they weren't people!"

"They're not. But they look like people. Well, all of them except Envy. He looks like a demented palm tree." Ed stopped walking and looked up at the building in front of them. "We're here," he announced.

the building was decently large, supporting two stories and medieval gargoyles on the roof (which looked really out of place against the red brick). There were very few windows and overall, the building resembled a cross between a mental hospital and a prison. Hesitantly, Ed knocked on the door.

A dog began barking furiously inside and scratching at the door. Sounds of a scuffle came from inside and a man in his late thirties opened the door. He had short, medium-brown hair, round glasses, and a face that showed obvious signs of stress.

Ed stepped back in surprise. "Tucker?" he breathed.

"Are you looking for someone? There's no Tuckers here. Just me, little old Ronald. And Sara, of course." A girl no older than five peeked out from behind Ronald's legs. She stared up at Ed and Karla with large, dark eyes.

"Um, I was looking for you, actually," Ed stammered, still shaken by seeing the spitting image of Nina staring at him. "I've heard about your work and I was wondering if you could tell me more."

Ronald seemed surprised by Ed's curiosity, but quickly ushered them in. Ed glanced down to see Ronald holding the collar of a large, white dog. "I don't think I caught your names," Ronald mentioned, closing the door behind them.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Edward and this is my-" he glanced at Karla. She looked way too young to be his aunt, "-cousin, Karla," He finished. Ronald smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Edward." he turned and began walking down the hallway. "If you come this way, I'll show you some of my research." Nin- Sara, he corrected himself, followed her dad, Karla, and Ed down the hall.

"Daddy, you said you were going to play with me today," Sara said, lightly tugging at her father's pant leg.

He bent down, "I can't right now, how about you take Chandler out back and play with him?"

"Okay, Daddy," Sara grabbed the dog's collar and walked away sadly.

Ronald ushered them into a large, dark room. A massive metal tank sat in the middle. Ronald grinned, "Here we are!"

"Uh... I don't get it," Ed stated. Karla internally groaned.

"Well," Ronald began, "this is where the magic happens," he tapped the metal tank. "I superheat the inside of this and the pressure causes the hydrogen to fuse together and BOOM. Massive explosion." He grinned at the skeptical Ed.

"Have you ever succeeded?" Ed asked.

Ronald's face fell, "Well... um... no. I don't think the government is going to support me much longer, so I plan to succeed very soon."

Horrible memories crept into Ed's mind. Tucker's voice echoed almost the exact phrase Ronald had just spoken. Nina's chimera voice asked him to play. Her blood splattered the wall of the dark alley way. He tried to shake the memories away, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Baker. Can you promise me one thing though?"

Shock flashed across Ronald's face before fading into uneasiness, "Depends. What is it?" he asked.

"Never drag your daughter into your work. She's worth more than that. Can you promise me never to put this," Ed gestured to the mechanical equipment in the room, "above her life?"

"Of course! Why would you think I wouldn't?" Ronald inquired.

"I knew someone very much like you. He put his work above his daughter and because of it, she was killed." A lump rose in Ed's throat and he desperately fought it back down.

"I'm so sorry..." Ronald was quiet. Slowly, he moved over to the computer that took up nearly half the room. "Here, let me show you how this works."

Ed massaged his temples as Karla closed the door to the house behind them. He groaned, "too much knowledge...!"

"But was it useful?" Karla asked, lightly nudging him forward.

Ed sighed heavily, "Yes, it was. I might have to redesign my gate-summoning machine. The fusion power will help, but there might have to be bloodshed to actually summon the gate."

Karla looked away, "Hasn't there been enough?" Ed stared at his feet. There had been too much blood, too much playing with people's lives. They walked in silence the rest of the way.

When they arrived at Karla's small house Ed grabbed his plans and sat at the table, brooding. Karla looked at him, and sighed.

"Ed, what I said back there, I'm sorry. I... I know it's going to take a lot to get back, and I appreciate that you're letting me accompany you," she confessed, never making eye contact.

He looked up and stared at her so intensely she was forced to meet his gaze. "It's not your fault for thinking that. You have every right to hate toying with life as much as you want, hell, I probably hate it worse than you. You don't have to apologize, but there is no other way." Karla shied away and forced a half smile.

"Look at this. You consoling me, doesn't that seem backwards?" She mused. Ed returned her smile with a heavy heart. He hated this, but as much as he hated it, he knew he needed it. Much to his surprise, Karla sat next to him. "So, explain the changes," she prompted.

"Well, I'll have to add a tank for the fusion to take place, I'm thinking about adding it to the outside, just for design convenience. I'm also going to have to rewrite the program for the computer, and I have a theory for how we can fake a human transmutation."

"Should I be worried?"

"Yeah."

Karla sighed, "What is this theory of yours?"

"Well, theoretically, if you pump a corpse full of electricity, it will reanimate."

"That's...pleasant," Karla grimaced. "But where do you expect to find a corpse someone will just give you?"

"Cadavers"

"Oh great."

Ed smiled mischievously, "See? I've got this all planned out."

"That you have. I just hope it doesn't get you into trouble."

"It probably will, but I'll either be on the other side of the gate or dead by the time anyone finds out what I've done."

"You're making this sound really positive."

"I know."

Karla ruffled his soft, blond hair. "But you're not too bad, for a pipsqueak."

Immediately, Ed's temper flared. "Who are you calling so small you couldn't distinguish him from an ant if you tried?!" Ed screeched. Karla clasped her hand over her mouth to quell the laugh that was bubbling from her throat.

"That's not... what I said!" She gave up trying to hold it back and laughed. Ed glowered at her.

"I think I might hate you."

"You know you don't," she smiled, her eyes shining with tears of laughter.

Ed rolled his eyes, never letting the glare drop from his face. She grinned at him, willing it to be contagious. It worked. When he realized a smile was playing at the corners of his mouth, he cursed. "Damn you, Karla! Why?!" she laughed, more of a giggle than a laugh, really.

"See? I told you that you liked me," She smirked at him.

"Fine. But its not going to stay that way unless you help me."

"I was already planning on it."

"Good," Ed smiled, and Karla returned it.


	4. Chapter 4

WINRY

The slamming of the door shocked Winry out of her concentrative coma. She looked up to see who caused the noise and saw a middle-aged man in scrubs standing above her, scowling.

"Are you authorized to be in here?"

"Um, yes. Or, I should be. I'm the automail mechanic for this team," she stammered, setting down the mechanical jaw she was fiddling with.

"An automail mechanic? How old are you? Fourteen?" he scoffed.

"Sixteen, actually. And I've been doing this since I was five years old, so," Winry noticed her slowly raising voice, and flushed, "so I have perfect authorization to be operating on these men."

Still obviously skeptical, the doctor nodded. "I'm going to have to check the records-"

"I asked for her, specifically. Just so you know," Havoc cut in, smirking slightly. The doctor stiffened.

"Well then."

"Oh! I do have a question," Winry piped in, remembering Havoc's wrist. The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Lieutenant Havoc's wrist has been smashed beyond all repair, as I'm sure you've seen. Um, I built a replacement but it's just the bones, so I will need help reattaching the muscles…" She trailed off.

"I'm still not sure if I'm willing to let you near an operating table."

Winry snapped. "Okay listen here. You know Edward Elric? Of course you do. He had a mechanical arm and leg which he's had since he was ten. You know who built those AND ATTATCHED THEM? You're looking at her. When I was TEN. So if you think I'm not qualified you can just ask E-" d and he'll tell you echoed in her mind as her rant came to a screeching halt and she realized he had been dead for a year.

"So, you have experience. I'll have to consult my superiors about this, but you will have to have professional supervision."

"Fine," Winry breathed as she sat back against the wall. "But where it's not necessary, don't interfere. These are delicate operations."

Their glaring contest was broken when the door creaked open and Riza Hawkeye stepped in. Confusion flashed across her face. "Dr. Baltar? Winry? What's going on?"

"He won't let me do my job!"

"She's trying to operate on my patients!"

Riza groaned quietly, "I'm sorry for not informing you of Miss Rockbell's involvement, but she is reliable. I promise." Riza turned her attention to Winry, "I have your room ready if you're at a good break point."

Winry looked at the scattered bits of metal and screws surrounding her and several mechanical body parts. "Um…" she stood up, brushing her hands on her pants, "I could probably take a break." Riza beamed.

"Great!" Riza walked out the door and Winry followed, throwing a glare over her shoulder to Doctor Baltar.

"Can we schedule a couple of surgeries on or way out?" Winry asked, matching her pace with the Lieutenant.

"Of course. Are you ready for some already?"

"Yes. There's a couple of the men who are presumed terminal, and I think I can save them if I operate within the next couple of hours," Winry explained.

Riza nodded, "I see. Well, I'll be sure to have you back for them as soon as possible." She walked up to the front desk. The attendant looked up. "Where can I schedule surgeries?" Riza asked.

"Right here is fine. I can communicate it to some of the doctors…" she trailed off as she fumbled around for a clipboard. "Who and when?" she asked, pencil hovering.

"Lieutenants Farley and Currey from the Havoc squad," Winry answered, "Is there an opening in two hours?"

"Yes there is, who will be operating?"

"I will."

The attendant glanced up sharply, "You?"

"I'm their automail mechanic. I am licensed."

"Okay," the attendant jotted down some notes, "Thank you, I'll have the operating room ready for you."

Winry smiled, "Thank you." She and Riza exited the building and climbed into Riza's car.

"Is it okay if we make one stop before going to your room?" Riza asked, turning the car on.

"Sure. Where are we going?"

"The prison."

Winry was stunned into silence. "The… prison?" she finally choked out.

Riza gave a half smile, "Yes. A very good friend is being held there, and I wanted to visit him."

"Oh…" Winry mouthed. She could see the sadness in the older woman's eyes. Silently, she wondered who this 'good friend' could be.

A few minutes later, the car pulled up in front of what could only be the Central Prison. The two girls climbed out of the car and walked into the foreboding building.

The inside was cheerily lit, and had a warm, almost home-like atmosphere. Winry supposed the carpeted floor probably added to that. A tall, ginger man sat at a desk in the back of the room. He looked up when they entered. His face lit up when his eyes landed on Riza.

"Colonel Hawkeye!" he exclaimed, standing up to meet them. "I see you've brought a guest," he beamed, firmly shaking Winry's hand.

"Yes, this is Winry Rockbell," Riza answered.

"Rockbell? Isn't that the name of those doctors…? I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. It's nice to meet you, Winry."

"No, it's okay. They were my parents," Winry smiled weakly, trying to return the man's enthusiastic grin.

"I am so sorry," he consoled.

"Major Corondel," Riza stated, willing him to focus.

"Yes, sorry Colonel. The usual visit?" Riza nodded, following the Major as he unlocked a door behind his desk. "Right through there, but you know that. Can I trust you not to break him out?"

Riza smiled, "Always." Major Corondel smiled in return and handed her a key. She took it and walked through the newly unlocked door. Winry followed her into the dark, dank hallway.

"Colonel?" Winry asked, "When did that happen?"

Riza chuckled, "I forgot to say, didn't I? After the new military government was set in place there was an opening, so I was promoted. And here you were still thinking I was a lowly lieutenant." She cast a sideways smile at Winry.

"Yeah…" Winry giggled, "Congrats though."

"Thanks," Riza smiled. The hallway lightened and on either side of her, Winry saw people behind bars, men and women, some old, some young. The sight churned her stomach. She stared intently at her feet, hoping the inmates wouldn't notice her; however, she could feel their eyes hot on the back of her neck. Her face flushed. She felt Riza's hand on her shoulder, and looked up.

The Colonel began unlocking a door on their left. Winry looked into the cell. The inmate was asleep, clearly he knew Riza well enough that she was comfortable waking him. Carefully, Winry studied him. His back was to her, but she could see a mop of messy, straight, black hair on his head. He had broad shoulders, and was clearly well-muscled and strong. Riza opened the door and walked in. She approached the sleeping man and sat down on the bench (prison beds weren't anything more than that) next to him. Winry hesitantly tiptoed into the cell and closed the door behind her. She watched as Riza smiled softly and began stroking the man's hair. He stirred and rolled onto his back. Winry stifled a gasp as Roy Mustang smiled up at the new Colonel. He propped himself up on one elbow and hooked his other hand behind her head, pulling her into a firm kiss.

Winry looked around the cell awkwardly. She'd always suspected something was going on between those two, but these circumstances were just odd. Why the hell was Colonel Mustang in prison? She looked back at the two colonels. Roy had laid back down with his arms wrapped around Riza, who was laying comfortably on his chest with her face buried in his neck. Each had their eyes closed serenely.

Roy's eyes cracked open and he smiled at Winry's gawk. "You didn't tell me you brought anyone else," he mumbled into Riza's hair.

"I guess I forgot," she replied, her words muffled.

"It's good to see you, Winry," he smiled. One of his hands crept up Riza's back and dislodged the clip from her long, blonde hair. He began playing with it, and she smiled against his neck.

"It's good to see you too, Colonel," Winry replied, bowing slightly.

Roy chuckled, "Not Colonel anymore."

"Why?" The word came out so fast Winry didn't have time to consider that it was inappropriate to ask that.

"Because I killed that shitty excuse for a Fuhrer," Roy grinned mischievously.

"You used to respect him as a leader," Riza mentioned.

"That was before I found out he was manipulating the military for the purpose of creating a philosopher's stone," he paused, "And killed 7,000 men," he added.

"I'll give you that," Riza mumbled.

"But… I thought King Bradley died in a house fire…" Winry questioned, confused.

"Yes, which is really suspicious when the Flame Alchemist. is found stumbling out of the burning house," Roy countered. Winry nodded. "After I healed, I went in for questioning. The fact that I was guilty surfaced, as did Bradley's manipulation of the military. That's probably the only reason I'm still alive." He sighed, "When people started fighting for power, my case was set aside. They haven't brought it back up yet, so I've been staying here. Nonetheless, I was stripped of my title and position."

"I'm sorry," Winry mumbled.

"It's okay. This has been relaxing. No paperwork, no stress, and I got to see her promoted into my spot." Roy kissed Riza's forehead.

"You're better at it than me, though."

"Not a chance." Roy closed his eyes and exhaled softly. Riza snuggled closer into his chest and kicked her feet up onto the bench. Winry smiled at the two of them before sneaking out of the cell and back down the hall.

Major Corondel was sitting at his desk sorting out some papers when Winry walked in. He smiled, "Those two lovebirds a little much for you?" he joked.

Winry laughed lightly, "I just thought they needed some time alone," she responded.

"That's probably for the best. There's no telling how much time they have left."

"What?"

"The continuation of Roy Mustang's trial picks up in three days."


	5. Chapter 5

KARLA, EDWARD

"Karlaaaaaa! Get over here, and GIVE IT BACK!" Ed yelled, chasing Karla around her small yard.

"Never!" She panted, dodging his lunge for her and the metal strip she held.

"Dammit Karla, I need that!"

She giggled, "I know you do!"

"Well then give it to me!"

"No!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"Because you've been working nonstop for the past three days, and as your legal guardian, I think you need a break." Karla crossed her arms.

"Legal guardian? Since when?" Ed scoffed. Karla rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Well. Maybe not legal, but I still worry about you!"

"Good for you," Ed muttered, again lunging for Karla's captured item. She evaded him easily, whacking him lightly as she did so.

"Take. A. Break!" She demanded, trying futily to pull a serious face. Ed groaned, throwing his head back in frustration.

"FIIIIIIIIIINE." Ed glowered at her beaming face as if it was taunting him. Karla grabbed his shoulders, steered him onto the small patio right outside the house, and sat him down on the bench swing.

"Stay," she commanded.

"I'm not a dog!"

"Could've fooled me."

Ed scowled at her as she walked in the back door of the house. She returned moments later carrying two small glasses of a light caramel-coloured liquid. She handed one to Ed and sat down next to him.

"Besides, it's too nice of a day to waste away," she mentioned, putting the glass to her lips.

"Is this whiskey?"

"Yeah. Watered down though. You're a little young to be getting drunk," she looked at him, "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, it's fine," Ed answered, lightly sipping the drink. He sighed and leaned back against the back of the bench. "I guess it is a nice day," He mentioned, gazing up at the sky. It was touched with a few, light clouds framed by a brilliant blue space that extended far into the horizon. It was a blue he had seen before. A blue that had been lit with laughter, a blue that had shone with anger, a blue that had quivered with tears, and a blue that he had been too afraid to embrace. Silently, he vowed that were he to ever make it back, he would fix everything he had messed up. Every lost opportunity, every time he had been cold, he would make up for it. I promise, he mouthed.

Karla noticed his faraway expression. She knew there was so much he wasn't telling her. There was so much pain in his eyes. A pain that tensed his muscles, a pain that kept him up at night, a pain that could not be forgotten, even through a lifetime. She'd only been with him for less than a week, but that was enough. His lantern had lit his room at odd hours of the night, and a quiet sobbing could be heard. She'd never wanted to intrude, how could she? But now, looking at his eyes which seemed to see a whole different world, she wanted to comfort him. However, now more than ever, she couldn't. Sighing quietly, she downed the rest of her beverage and closed her eyes. She hoped the alcohol would relax him, he needed it. If he wouldn't take a break on his own, she would force it on him.

She cracked an eyelid to look at him. His eyes were closed, and his face was as serene as she had ever seen it. The trail of a single tear shone in the brilliant afternoon sun. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. Maybe there was still hope. He was almost done building his contraption. All that was left was computer programing. Maybe she could finally go home! A thought struck her and she nearly choked on her tongue. There was nothing left for her. Her family was dead, she'd been gone for fifteen years, everyone who had known her would have taken her for dead. She had nothing left. Except alchemy, she supposed. Maybe she could join the military, like Ed had. It would be better than trying to build a life from nothing.

The two sat in peaceful silence as the swing gently rocked in the fresh, spring breeze. Ed's breathing slowed to the steady pace of sleep and his head rested on Karla's shoulder. Gently, she laid him down on her lap and softly stroked his hair as she undid his tight braid. Mission accomplished, she thought as she too, dozed off.

…

Karla's hand still rested on the back of Ed's neck when he woke. His head was comfortably cradled in her lap and his feet were tucked behind him on the swing. Her gentle breathing told him that she was still asleep.

Slowly, so as not to disturb his aunt, he sat up, placing her hand back in her lap. The sky was beginning to darken with evening and his stomach growled hungrily. He stood up, careful not to rock the swing, and snuck into the house.

Her kitchen cupboards were caught in that awkward stage between empty and full. There wasn't much food, but there was enough, he supposed. For the last year, Karla had managed to make a meager living as a tutor for children who either couldn't attend a public or private school, or were struggling with the school they were in. She'd been away many of the days he'd been here, and she rarely wanted to talk about what happened at "work." But her job supported his stomach, so he never pressed.

Ed busied himself fixing a dinner for the two of them. He had never been adept at cooking, despite his love of food. Hopefully she'll forgive me, he thought as he stirred the bubbling pot of stew. Subconsciously he added his bitchy attitude to the list of things he wished she would forgive him for. If only he wasn't so bloody awkward with people. It's just, talking to them was so difficult. Maybe when we're home, and all this is behind us, I can finally talk to her. I can finally apologize, and things can finally be right. He smiled. He was so close. So very close to making everything right again.

The door shot open, "ED?" relief flooded Karla's face, "Oh. Okay you're just inside. I just woke up and you weren't there and I got worried," Karla trailed off, her face flushing red as embarrassment set in. She looked down at her feet.

"Dammit Karla I'm not that irresponsible!" Ed teased, "Now get over here and help me before I burn down your kitchen."

Karla smiled sheepishly and walked over to the stove. He handed her the wooden spoon he'd been using. Gingerly, she stirred the contents of the pot and brought up a spoonful of the thick broth to her lips. Ed watched intently as she sipped the broth, willing it to be good.

"That's not half bad. Nice job, Ed," she smiled. He sighed in relief.

"Oh good, I was worried," he grinned, grabbing the spoon from her and tasting the stew while she pulled two ceramic bowls down from the cupboard. "What do you mean 'not half bad'? This crap is delicious!" He exclaimed, a bit a broth leaking from his mouth, which he quickly wiped away. Giggling, Karla poured stew into each of the two bowls. She handed one to Ed, and after taking the stew off the heat, they sat down to eat.

"So, you're close, aren't you?"

"Yep. Probably could've started programming tomorrow if someone hadn't delayed my work," he teased.

"Hey. You needed a nap. Desperately," she retorted.

"Suuure," Ed rolled his eyes. Karla's smirk faded to a soft smile as thank you, caught on Ed's tongue. He was grateful, he had needed a break, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, he cleared his throat. "Well, even with the delay, we'll probably be up and running in two days, tops."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Karla exclaimed before spooning another bite of stew into her mouth. Ed smiled, it really was wonderful.

…

Ed flipped open his silver pocket watch. 2:48. He closed it again before his eyes could flit to see the inscription on the inside of the lid. Karla should be home soon. Perfect timing, he thought, smiling. Everything was in order. Built, programmed, and triple-checked. It should work perfectly. He'd even gotten the cadaver for the fake human-transmutation. He could finally go home! He could finally see Al again, and Winry, his thoughts murmured. His heart fluttered at the notion, but he quieted it.

"ED!" Karla's voice echoed from inside the house. Upon hearing her, he turned and bolted in through the back door, nearly crashing into her in the process. "Whoa there, what's the hurry?" she asked, catching him by his shoulders.

"I'm done." His eyes shone with excitement as he grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the back yard. Karla gasped quietly.

"Ed, it's… it's…"

"It's our ride home," he finished.

"It's beautiful," she breathed before gathering him into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you," she whispered, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Hey. No lovey-dovey crap. Okay?" he insisted, and yet, he didn't pull out of her embrace. Finally, she let go of him and wiped the wetness from her eyes. "You ready to go home?" he asked. She nodded, a grin spreading across her tear-streaked face. "Then let's go," Ed whispered, his voice full of energy.

He dragged a blanket-enclosed corpse out into the center of the yard and began attaching wires to various places on the body. Karla grimaced. When Ed finished fiddling with the corpse he walked over and guided her to the small opaque booth.

"On second thought, I probably should have done that before you got here," he muttered, indicating with a nod toward the lifeless body.

"Yeah, that would have been nice," she replied. Ed opened the doors opposite a large, black tank. There was barely enough room for the two of them as well as the over-large computer.

Immediately, Ed started pushing buttons. Karla stared out the one window at her home, her yard, and the body that would be her salvation.

"Ready," Ed called, whirring from one keyboard to the next. "Steady!" he said, slightly louder, his voice tinged with anxiety and excitement.

"Go," Karla breathed as Ed slammed a lever and shouted GO. There was a lurch followed by a blinding flash of light as the corpse was illuminated by a white energy. It spasmed on the ground before jolting to its feet and stumbling towards the contraption, wires still hanging off its body.

"Shit! It's overloading!" Ed cursed, frantically typing on multiple keypads. The booth lurched again as another blinding flash of energy surged down the wires, causing the zombie-like figure's flesh to begin melting off its electrified bones. Karla screamed and covered her eyes. Another unexpected jolt threw her and Ed against the wall. "Dammit!" Ed exclaimed. An earth-shattering blast sounded around them before a deathly silence enveloped the booth. "Dammit," Ed breathed, smacking the wall with his fist.

Karla again looked out the small window, "Ed!" she gasped, pointing, "It's the gate!" Ed pushed past her to see none other than the very image that had haunted his dreams for the last five years. The Gate loomed over their tiny machine, dark and menacing.

"We did it," Ed breathed. Then louder, "We did it. We did it!" he grabbed one of the two double-doors, unlocked it, and was shoving it open when it started.

"ED, NO!" Karla gasped, grabbing the door shut. The opaque walls began to shine with a silvery-blue light as the booth lurched into motion.

"What the hell?" Ed shouted to nothing in particular.

"I don't know, the gate just vanished and everything turned blue-ish and now we're moving and I have no idea what's going on!" Karla choked out, death gripping the door closed as the booth tossed and turned. "What are we going to do?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Determination replaced the fear in Ed's eyes. "Hold on for dear life. I'm going to try and land this son of a bitch." He stated, flipping around to the many flashing screens and blinking lights. Karla nodded and swallowed, holding the door closed with one hand, and the computer with the other to ground herself. Ed frantically typed in programs, edited them, tried commands, anything. It seemed nothing was working. "DAMMIT." He yelled, slamming his fist on the keyboard in frustration. He contraption lurched and Karla's hold on the computer slipped as she crashed into the unlocked door. It swung open under her weight and she fell out, still clutching the door with every ounce of strength she could find. She screamed as her fingers slipped off the small, metal handle.

Ed was already kneeling at the edge of the floor, clinging to the other sturdily locked door and reaching for her with his other arm, but it was too late. She tumbled away into the vast, swirling abyss.

"Karla!" Ed screamed frantically, tears welling in his eyes. "KARLA!"

(A/N) K. first things first, all of you science nerds, I apologize for the science in this chapter, and I'm not claiming any sense of realism to any of it. Just wanted to get that out there, I'm done. So basically this is the chapter where crap gets real, and the story actually begins. mwahaha, etc, etc. enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6

KARLA

The sun glared hot against her closed eyes. She could hear someone talking, but it seemed to come from far away. Her ears were ringing and her whole body throbbed with a red-hot pain. Tentatively, she cracked her eyes open. A young man was kneeling over her. He had dark hair and eyes framed by square glasses. His mouth was moving. Was he the one talking? What was he saying? Where was she? What had happened? She tried to focus on the man's words through the ringing in her ears.

"Miss! Miss are you okay? Can you hear me?" His voice was frantic, worried. She wondered if she knew him. No, she didn't. She felt pressure on her hand as the man gently squeezed it. "Can you hear me?" he asked again, quieter this time.

She tried to respond, but her voice wasn't working. All she managed to choke out of her dry throat was a dull moan. The man looked relieved.

"Help is on the way, I promise," he reassured, softly squeezing her hand again. She winced, everywhere hurt. She couldn't remember anything. The sun was too bright, too hot. Gently, the man tucked a hand behind her head and propped her up slightly. She gasped as a tendril of searing pain shot down her back. "I am so sorry," the man professed. "You need to drink this," he insisted, holding a canteen to her lips. The cool liquid inside washed over her tongue and down her throat. Hungrily she gulped it down before erupting into a coughing fit. Her whole body shook with every lurch of her diaphragm and her muscles screamed at the movement.

Still gently caressing her head, the man tried to comfort her. He stroked her hair and wiped the tears from her face. "It's going to be okay," he murmured. Her fearful eyes questioned him. How can you know? He smiled and leaned down next to her ear. "Trust me, I'm a doctor," he whispered before kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"A… doctor?" she choked out. He held a finger to her lips.

"Shh, don't talk. Just try and relax." Relax? How? How do you relax when there's a nagging at your mind telling you that you've forgotten something very important? How do you relax when your body is screaming in pain? He must have read her mind. "Try and clear your head. Don't think, and if you have to, think about something like the sky. Maybe a sunset. Can you see that in your mind's eye?" She closed her eyes and tried to imagine it. She was so tired…

…

She woke up in what could only be a hospital. Her limbs still ached, but the pulsing in her head was gone. She looked around and tried to push herself up into a sitting position. That was a bad idea. Searing flames of pain ate away at her wrists as she collapsed. She held her hands up in front of her face. They were both tightly bandaged from the palm of her hands down to nearly her elbows. Thin, but sturdy, sticks kept her wrists from moving. Had she broken them? How?

The door swung open and the man she had seen before walked in. His shoulder-length hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and he was wearing a white coat. He smiled when he saw her. "You woke up," He remarked, walking over to the side of her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," she answered, surprised to hear her own, functional voice.

He nodded, "That's normal. You broke both your wrists, tore your right MCL, sprained your back, and you have an impressive set of bruises covering, well, all of you," he stated. She groaned softly and he chuckled. "You're quite puzzling too. No one's ever seen you before. Are you from the inner walls?"

"What?"

"Maybe I thrust that on you a bit quickly. Clearly we've never met, and seeing as you've been asleep or delusional for the past week, we haven't been properly introduced. Hello, I'm Doctor Grisha Jaeger." He smiled again. It lit up his eyes and was clearly contagious.

She realized she was required to respond, so she racked her seemingly empty brain, trying to find a name. "I'm Karla," she finally realized. "Karla Elric."

"That's a very pretty name," Grisha smiled. "Elric… I don't think I've heard that name before…" he became very thoughtful and zoned out.

Her name still rung in her ears. Karla Elric. Elric… She felt like screaming. There was something she was supposed to remember, something that had to do with Elric. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to remember something, anything. Her mind's eye saw a dark, swirling abyss. Someone was screaming her name. She was falling, reaching for him. But who? Elric. The other Elric, she was sure of it. A face flashed across her memory. Long, blond hair framed a scowling expression. Golden eyes stared up at her incredulously.

"Ed," she gasped, her head shooting off the pillow as memories flooded her mind. She winced as Grisha grabbed her and gently laid her back down.

"Ed?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Er, yes. He's my nephew. He… I…" Karla groaned, "It's complicated."

"I'm listening,"

"You know, you're really sweet, but if I told you, you would think I'm crazy," Karla warned. Grisha pulled up a stool next to her bed and sat down.

"I'm listening,"

"Damn, you are stubborn," Karla mentioned, smiling. He smiled in return before silently egging her on. She sighed, "I don't even know where to start. Ed is my older sister Trisha's son. When he was little I made a stupid choice and I was thrust into another world. I lived there for a year, even got a job, and then Ed showed up. Except he was sixteen years old! Apparently our two world's timelines move at different paces, I don't really get it. Anywho, he had this idea of how we could get back home so we tried it, and I don't know what happened but his machine malfunctioned and I fell out and showed up here."

Grisha was quiet, "That's… an interesting tale."

"It's true."

"I don't doubt that." He shook his head. "You're an interesting girl, Karla."

"Same goes for you. A doctor at your age? How did that happen?"

Grisha's face turned pink. "Well, my folks were doctors. So I kind of grew up in the career. It really doesn't take long to make it through medical school when you start at the age of fifteen," he explained.

"So how old are you now?"

"Twenty-four."

Karla grinned, "Oh good. I was beginning to worry that I was attracted to a forty-year-old creeper who was addicted to face lifts."

"Are you… Are you flirting with me?"

"Noooo, why would I do that?" Karla smirked, rolling her eyes playfully.

"You are flirting with me!"

"In my defense, you kissed me first!" Karla pointed out. Grisha's ears turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Yeah… Well… you were going into shock…"

"Like that's any excuse," Karla teased.

"Okay… maybe you've got me there. But you need to sleep or else you'll never get better."

"Fiiine," Karla muttered as Dr. Grisha Jaeger added an anesthetic to the clear liquid that was being piped into her bloodstream. Slowly, she dozed off.

…

"Well, as of today, you are free to go," Dr. Jaeger announced.

"Oh sweet mercy. I was thinking about breaking myself out, but we both know how that would have ended," Karla teased, sitting up on the hospital bed she had spent far too much time in. She motioned for Grisha to come over and help her get the knee brace on. Her stiff and bandaged wrists were still not cooperating like she wanted them to. Linking her arm over his shoulder and grabbing her firmly around the waist, he helped her to her feet.

"Well, seeing as you don't exactly have anywhere to go, would you like to stay with me?" Grisha asked, assisting her as she discarded her hospital gown and exchanged it for her only dress.

"Yeah, I'd love to," Karla answered, wincing as she tried to button up the bodice of the dress.

"Here, let me," Grisha offered, moving her hands out of the way, and proceeding to fasten the remaining buttons.

"Thank you," Karla smiled, "For everything."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Grisha replied, returning her soft smile. Gently he reached behind her neck and pulled her head toward his. Their lips met softly, gently. The kiss was over far too soon.

…

The rain pounded the stone streets with a ferocity that hadn't been seen in years. Two young pairs of feet ran through the puddles, splashing water over the already soaking roads. The couple laughed carelessly, lunging for each other and dodging the other's attacks. Karla was too slow. Grisha caught her by the wrist and pulled her rain-soaked body against his.

"What was this news you had for me?" Karla asked after kissing him firmly. He smiled triumphantly, hooking his hands around the small of her back.

"I got my license to be a traveling family doctor."

Karla beamed up into his smiling eyes, "That's wonderful!"

"I was wondering if you would come with me. It would be fun. Traveling into the inner walls, meeting all sorts of people, Grisha Jaeger and Karla Elric, doctoring duo," he grinned. "You know, I never really liked your last name."

"What's wrong with Elric? I think it sounds nice!"

"It doesn't suit you. Maybe you should change it."

"To what?" Karla scoffed.

"I was thinking Jaeger," he smirked, pressing his mouth down on hers. Startled, she pushed his face back.

"Did you, did you just propose to me?!"

"And if I did?"

"Well… Well… Well I accept."

"So you'll come with me?" he asked, his eyes full of hope.

"Of course," she whispered, pulling him back into the unfinished kiss.

…

Sweat poured down her face as another contraction seized the muscles in her abdomen. How much longer would this last? She cried out in pain.

"It's okay, we're almost there, it'll be fine," her husband reassured her. She wasn't so sure. "Okay, push now." Grisha commanded. Push? Push how? She screamed again, it felt like someone was tearing her apart. "We can see the head. Karla, you're doing great," His eyes shone with happiness. Yet another wave of pain racked her small frame. Her breaths were rapid and shallow. Still, she pushed with every ounce of meager strength left in her body. "You've got it sweetie, just once more!" She allowed herself a moment of rest before giving a 'final push.'

She glanced down by her feet to see her husband gathering a small, goo-covered human into his arms. He smiled up at her, "It's a boy." She smiled in return before collapsing back onto the small pillow as her abdomen seized in yet another contraction. Grisha handed the baby off to a nearby nurse, and she scampered away to clean the child. "It's just the afterbirth, it'll be out in a minute," Grisha promised, squeezing Karla's hand. She nodded as a drop of sweat trickled into her eye. "Push one more time," he instructed. She took in a shuddering breath and complied.

A few minutes later the nurse returned with a little bundle. She handed the sleeping baby to Karla who smiled shamelessly into his peaceful face. "He's so perfect," she whispered, brushing her nose against his.

"He looks just like you," Grisha smiled, kissing Karla's head. "Good job."

She looked up at him, "So Eren it is then?"

"Yes. Eren Jaeger, welcome to the family."

…

"And you're sure you'll be safe? And you'll do exactly what your dad tells you? And you've got your scarf? It's going to be cold," Karla fussed over her nine-year-old son.

"Yes mom, all of those things. And I've got the knife Pop gave me!" H announced proudly, holding up a fairly large dagger.

Karla laughed lightly, "Just don't pull that on any of the Ackermans, okay? And be nice to Mikasa." Karla stood up. "Take care of him. You know I don't like this," She told her husband, worry prominent on her face.

He gathered her into a hug, "It's just a routine check. We'll be home before dark."

"You'd better be," she muttered as he let her go and led Eren out the door and down the street. She watched them until she couldn't see them anymore. Turning back into the house, a thought struck her. She'd been here for nearly thirteen years. Has it really been that long? She puzzled. She'd done what she never thought would be possible. She'd started a life. Where she had supposed her only option was to join the military, she'd broken her own expectations and made a normal life for herself in the Shinganshina District. Yes, it was the most vulnerable against titans (she'd only ever heard of them. However, her belief in their existence was strongly enforced by the death toll in the Recon Corps), but it was the best she'd known. Where had Ed landed? She wondered. If he had landed. A pang of anxiety erupted in her chest. Hopefully he was alive. Anywhichway, she couldn't do anything to help him. So, sighing, she busied herself, trying to keep her mind off her family.

Hours passed and the sun set, clothing the world in darkness. Her boys still hadn't returned. She lit a lantern and sat on the porch, anxiously fiddling with her hands. Dread filled her chest as her cynical imagination thought up every possible way something could have gone wrong. The Ackermans did live in the middle of nowhere. There were thieves, murderers, perverts… she groaned and buried her face in her hands. They weren't coming back, were they?

The pattering of small feet running up the stairs shocked her out of her trance. Suddenly Eren was there, and her threw his arms around her neck. Tears in her eyes, she hugged him tightly. "I was so worried," she breathed. He pushed her away, his eyes shining.

"Mom! Mom, guess what!" he exclaimed, nearly bouncing out of his skin.

She laughed, "What? And where is your scarf?"

"I've got a sister now!"

"What?" Karla stood up and looked down the road to where she could see her husband holding a young, dark-haired girl. Karla ran down the road. "What happened?" She asked, frantically. The girl picked her head up off Grisha's shoulder She blinked, bleary-eyed.

Grisha sighed softly, "Karla, this is Mikasa Ackerman. She's going to be staying with us." Mikasa looked at Karla with large, dark, quivering eyes.

Karla smiled softly, "Welcome to the family, Mikasa." Mikasa tried to smile in return, but much of her face was still covered in a thick, red scarf. Eren's scarf, Karla realized. Suddenly, Eren was at her side.

"Mikasa! I'll show you around!" he offered, holding out his hand. Mikasa nodded, and Grisha set her down. Eren grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the house. Karla turned back to her husband.

"Why is Mikasa here? What happened?" she asked, fear tinging her voice. Grisha's head turned as he looked away.

"The Ackermans were murdered. They were already gone by the time I got there. Mikasa had been kidnapped. I called for help, told Eren to stay put, but he slipped away. By the time I found him, all three of the murderers were dead and Mikasa was safe."

Karla was shocked, "Are you telling me that Eren-"

"Killed two men? Yes. I have reason to believe Mikasa got the third one," Grisha explained, still avoiding his wife's gaze. Karla was speechless. How could her little boy have killed two men? She turned to bolt back into the house and scold Eren for being so reckless with his life, but Grisha grabbed her wrist. "I've already gone after him enough," he mentioned softly.

"Yes, but I'm his mother!" Karl argued. Grisha pulled her into a hug as she broke down.

"At least wait until tomorrow, he's had a rough day."

…

"We're back," Eren announced, walking through the front door with Mikasa. Karla looked up from the sink where she was doing dishes.

"Welcome home," she smiled. Eren took both his and Mikasa's 'packs' of wood and emptied them into a bin by the table. Karla walked over. "Wow Eren. I'm surprised you gathered this much firewood today."

"Yeah…" Eren muttered looking away as his ears blushed bright red. Karla leaned down and pinched the blush. "What was that for?" Eren whined, rubbing his ear.

"Your ears were red. You were lying," Karla smiled, "Mikasa helped you, didn't she?" Eren looked away and sat down at the table between his father and his adopted sister (who still hadn't taken off that scarf). Karla went back to the dishes.

"Dad, are you going out for work?" Eren asked, noticing his father packing various medical tools into a black bag.

"Yeah. I have to go see someone in the inner walls. I'll be back in two or three days," Grisha replied. Eren seemed satisfied with the answer he got and began eating. All was quiet.

"Eren wants to join the Recon Corps," Mikasa mentioned quietly. Karla spun around, aghast.

"Mikasa, you traitor!" Eren yelled, slamming his bowl back down onto the table.

Karla was at his side in an instant, "Eren, what are you thinking? Do you know how many people die outside those walls?!"

"I do!"

"Clearly you don't!"

Grisha cut into their argument, "Eren." Both Eren and Karla turned to look at him. "Why do you want to go outside?" he asked.

"I want to see and understand the world outside. I don't want to die within these walls without knowing what's out there!" Eren began. He paused for a second before continuing, "On top of that, if no one takes on their jobs, then all those who've lost their lives would have died in vain!" He exclaimed his eyes lit with a fire that Karla had so rarely seen.

"I see," Grisha paused and an eerie silence fell over the small family. He stood and headed for the door. "My ship's here. I must get going."

Karla stood up and ran after him, "Wait, dear. Help me convince Eren!" she pleaded.

"Karla, nothing can suppress a man's curiosity." He turned to his son who had stood up and followed him partway to the door. "Eren. After I've returned, I'll show you the basement I've been keeping you away from," he promised, pulling a golden key out from under his coat. It glinted in the light.

"For real?" Eren asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement. Grisha pushed the key back into his coat and turned out the door. "Have a safe trip!" Eren called after him as he walked down the cobblestone street.

"I won't allow it," Karla insisted. "You can't do something stupid like join the Recon Corps."

"Stupid?!" Eren yelled, "People who are content living like livestock are more stupid!" he turned around and ran down an alley.

"Eren!" Karla called after him, but it was too late. Mikasa walked up beside her. Karla whipped around and grabbed Mikasa by the shoulders. "Mikasa, he's a reckless boy. When trouble comes, be sure to help each other out."

Mikasa nodded, "Okay." Karla let go of her, and the young girl ran after Eren.

She turned back into the house. How hypocritical was she that only a few years ago she herself would have thrown her life to the military, but now, forbid her son from doing that very thing? But then again, times had changed. This was not the same military she was planning to join. On top of that, she was a new person now. Fourteen years can do a lot to change a woman, she mused. She busied herself cleaning the kitchen.

Suddenly she heard screaming. She ran to the door and looked out. She could see the top of the wall from where she was standing, and what she saw grounded her. A giant head shrouded in steam looked over the wall. It had no skin covering its bare muscle, and its hand had crushed the stone wall under it. A titan, Karla gasped. She'd never heard of one being this tall.

She was stuck in her daze of awe when all hell broke loose. There was a huge smashing sound coming from the gate. She only saw it for a second, but what she saw horrified her. Shards of rock as well as boulders flew in all directions from the gate. One was coming for her. She realized it too late, and suddenly everything was black.

Pain. That was the first thing she noticed when she regained consciousness. Her legs had been smashed beyond all repair, she was sure of that. She tried to move, but a ceiling beam resting across her shoulders hindered her attempted movement. There was nothing she could do. I'm going to die here, she thought. The notion frightened her. Thirty-six was too young of an age to die.

"Mom!" That had to be Eren yelling for her. She could hear them now, the pattering of two pairs of small feet running towards her. "Mom!" Eren yelled again as he and Mikasa reached her. Karla opened her eyes. "Mikasa, grab that side. We need to move this pillar!" Eren commanded, hooking his fingers under one side of the beam. Mikasa complied, and together they tried to lift it. Eren suddenly looked up. His eyes widened in fear. "Hurry Mikasa!" he pleaded. It had to be titans. They were getting in, weren't they?

"I know," Mikasa replied, putting all of her strength into lifting the pillar.

"The titans are coming in. Eren, take Mikasa and run! Hurry!" Karla pleaded, Eren wasn't listening. The wood cut into his hands and blood poured from the gashes as he continued to attempt to lift it.

"I want to run too! Hurry up and get out!" he demanded, holding the beam just high enough that she could worm her way out.

The pounding of a titan's feet from behind her sparked the realization that she wasn't going to live through this day. "My legs have been crushed by the debris. I can't run even if I get out," she looked Eren in the eye, "Do you understand?"

Tears pooled in his eyes, "I'll carry you and run!" he yelled, his voice cracking.

"Why can't you just listen to what I say for once? Please listen to me! Just one last time!" She pleaded. Mikasa's eyes clouded over with sadness and her lower lip threatened to quiver. "Mikasa!" Karla pleaded, hoping that maybe Mikasa, who was always so sensible, would be able to keep Eren safe and get away from there.

"No… No!" Mikasa cried. She'd lost one mother already, she wasn't about to lose a second one.

"At this rate, all three of us will…" Karla couldn't bring herself to think of her children being eaten. A whirring sound made her glace up. Hannes-san swung in with 3D maneuver gear. He ran over to them. "Hannes!" Karla exclaimed, "Take the kids and run!"

He crouched down by her head, "Don't take me lightly, Karla. I will kill the titan and save all three of you," he promised before standing up and running in the direction of the titan.

"Wait! You can't fight it!" Karla yelled after him. His pounding feet faded as he approached the titan. Not thirty seconds later he was running back. He scooped up Eren and threw him over his shoulder.

Eren fought and squirmed against the soldier's grip. "Hey! Hannes! What the hell are you doing?!" he screamed.

"Thank you," Karla breathed as Hannes grabbed Mikasa and took off.

"Mom is still trapped in there!" Eren yelled, still trying to get free.

"Eren! Mikasa! Live on!" Karla called after her children, who were disappearing fast from her line of sight. Tears spilled over her cheeks. "Don't leave me…" The words came out before she could stop them. She clapped a hand over her mouth and sobbed. Maybe the titan would pass over her, she prayed.

The pounding of large feet stopped. Huge hands dug into the pile of rubble above her, before finally reaching her broken body and pulling it out. Desperately she fought, pounding her fists against its tough flesh and squirming as much as she could. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Eren. He was still screaming, but blood was pounding so loudly in her ears she couldn't hear what he was saying.

Her captor brought her up to his hideous smiling face. What a horrible way to die. His other hand reached up and grabbed her torso. She tried to scream, but he yanked her sideways, and everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

WINRY

Winry collapsed onto a plush couch in the entry, shock, dread, and disbelief creating a whirlwind of anxiety in her mind. Roy had killed someone! There was no way he could escape without severe punishment, or even death. Three days. She wondered how he could stand it. How could Riza bear it?! Winry groaned, burying her face in her hands. She really didn't need any more stress in her life; and this wasn't even her problem! The door creaked open and Riza walked into the room, her hair once again neatly clipped to the back of her head.

Col. Hawkeye smiled at the young girl. "Ready to go?" she asked, after returning the small silver key to Major Corondel. Winry nodded and followed Riza out the door.

A thought struck the younger girl. "Col. Hawkeye, how many ranks did you jump?" Winry asked, realizing the vast difference between Lieutenant and Colonel.

Riza smiled to herself. "I didn't actually skip any ranks. Right after the new military government was set in place, all of the unsettlement needed to be sorted out. There of course were people who were not willing to follow their new leader. Those people that were deemed trustworthy were of high value, and moved up in rank very quickly. I was one of those people, and seeing as my superiors kept getting weeded out, I was promoted a lot. I think I'll probably just stay a Colonel though," Riza explained. Winry nodded in understanding. It did make sense. Silently she wondered if she dared bring up Roy's trial. She wanted to learn everything she could about it, but was it really her place to know? Curiosity ate away at her stomach. Riza must have noticed. "Is there something on your mind?" The older woman inquired.

Winry forced herself out of her daze. "Um, no. not really. " She gave Riza her best don't-worry-about-me-everything's-fine smile, but she could tell the Colonel was still skeptical.

"If you say so…" She shrugged, "Well, sorry for the delay. Let's go get you settled in, and then we can go back to the hospital." Riza smiled as both she and Winry climbed into the car and drove away.

…

"I apologize in advance, because this is going to be really painful," Winry warned as she prepared to join Lt. Farley's nerves to the various metal body parts she had constructed. He gave a slight nod and set his jaw (or, what was left of it. A good portion of his face had been completely destroyed). "I'm going to start with the worst one," Winry stated, reaching the Lieutenant's half-metal face. She was confident in her ability to fashion everything on his face, except for his missing eye. She had long studied the mechanics of the human eye, and she figured she could probably build and attach a functional one. However, the anxiety of attaching the optic nerve almost directly to the brain was killing her. One wrong move and he could be dead. She took in a deep breath and connected the nerves. The Lieutenant cried out in agony as tears welled in his one good eye. His toes clenched and the muscles in his legs seized against the pain. Winry turned back to the doctors who were in the room 'supervising her.' "If you want to do any skin grafting, I suggest getting ready for that now," she mentioned, moving to hover over her patient's chest.

She sighed. This part here was the real reason he was presumed terminal. He'd lost his entire left arm, shoulder and much of his ribcage. This left his left lung, as well as his heart, exposed. It was a frakking miracle he'd made it off the battlefield in the first place. She'd managed to re-build his ribcage under the hard metal skin, but there was still the possibility that an infection had already set in. "Ready?" she asked. Lt. Farley nodded sharply. 3…2…1. She connected the nerves. The Lieutenant lurched as the entire left half of his torso was engulfed in searing flames of pain. Winry scurried to the other side of the hospital bed. "3, 2, 1," she warned as she connected the nerves for the metal forearm. Farley yelped in pain as sweat poured down his face and neck. The muscles in his legs were so tight, Winry suspected they would cramp soon.

The Lieutenant's pain was clearly off-setting the doctors in the room. "Can we… sedate him?" one of the younger doctors asked, glancing at the man writing on the operating table.

Winry shook her head, "The nerve connection won't work as well unless he's completely undrugged." The doctor nodded skeptically. Farley had stopped writhing, but he was still whimpering. Winry smiled and gently ruffled his bright red hair. "I'll be back in just a minute. The pain will go away soon, but don't try to move yet. I need to go check on Lt. Currey." She looked up at the head doctor in the operating room, "Go ahead with the skin grafting operation on his face. Afterward, move him to a recovery room and make sure he doesn't move any of his automail yet." After getting a nod of acknowledgment from the doctor, she walked out of the room.

Winry glanced down the hallway and groaned. Where exactly were the recovery rooms? A young female nurse was walking down the hallway away from her. Winry ran towards the nurse. "um, excuse me," she started, lightly tapping the nurse on the shoulder.

"Yes?" she asked, turning around.

"Can you tell me where the recovery rooms are?" Winry asked, her slight social anxiety making her trip over the words. The nurse smiled.

"I'm actually headed there, so just follow me." She turned back around and began walking down the hall again. Winry let out a quiet sigh of relief and followed. "I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?" the nurse asked.

"No, not really. I'm the automail mechanic for the Havoc squad," Winry explained.

The nurse chuckled, "Aren't you a bit young to be an automail mechanic?"

"Will people just stop doubting me already?!" Winry muttered angrily. The nurse laughed again.

"We're here. Name plates are by the doors," the nurse mentioned as she continued down the hall.

"Thank you!" Winry called after her. She turned to the door closest to her. "Currey… Currey…" She muttered, reading each of the names next to the doors. "Currey!" She opened the door and walked in. The poor lieutenant was almost completely metal now. Rehabilitation was not going to be short, or easy.

…

Winry collapsed against the door. She buried her face in her knees and groaned softly. "Long day?" came a familiar voice. Winry looked up into the hospital room. Havoc was the only one awake, and he sat in his bed, fiddling with a pencil in his good hand.

"Uhg, yes. Can I rant?" Winry asked.

Havoc shrugged, "The floor is yours."

"I operated on Farley and Currey against orders and currently they're both still alive, but I don't think Farley's going to make it, but who knows, he might. I've never lost anyone before and I sure as hell don't want to start now. On top of that it's been a year, and Al is nowhere close to summoning the gate. I hate myself a little for it, but I'm beginning to think that he'll never be able to do it. He'll never get the gate open, and Ed will just stay dead forever. And to top that ALL off, apparently Colo- Roy Mustang killed the Fuhrer and is going back on trial in just a few days and he's probably going to die!" Winry groaned again as her head fell back in her lap. "The anxiety is killing me!" She moaned, her words muffled by the fabric of her skirt.

"hmm. I'm sorry. But, can you explain one thing for me?"

Winry looked up in surprise, "Sure, what?"

"Ed's not dead?"

"Oh…yeah…um…" Winry sighed quietly. "Technically I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but we have reason to believe that he's not actually dead. You see, this girl Rose brought Al and Wrath home and-"

"Wait, wasn't Wrath a homunculus?"

"Yes. Apparently they saw the whole thing. Anywho, Rose said that Ed gave himself up to save Al. When he did, 'The Gate' appeared and he was pulled through, right before Al had taken full form. Also, this was not the first time Rose had seen Ed pushed through the gate. The first time, he came back through. The second time, not so much. That's why we think that he could still be alive…" Winry trailed off.

Havoc was quiet for a moment, "Don't give up hope just yet. Alphonse is a good kid. He'll pull through." He smiled reassuringly at the girl. She tried to smile back, but her heart was still in her throat. She looked at the four remaining men in the room. Was she ready to operate on any of them? Close… but not yet. She had absolutely no desire to get up and walk, so she crawled over to her miniature work station in the corner of the room and began assessing what she had built so far.

The door opened and a man entered. Winry glanced up. He wasn't exactly tall, but he was by no means short. He had long, blond hair died behind his head. He cleared his throat.

Havoc looked up, "Can I help you, Private?"

"Er, yes. Brigadier General Rosalyn wants you to testify in Mustang's trial on Thursday."

Havoc sighed, "Do I really have a choice?"

"Knowing her, I'm afraid not, Captain."

"Tell her I'll be there, but I wasn't in on the Fuhrer's assassination plan, so I doubt I'll be much help."

"I actually think you'll be speaking about the staged uprising, seeing as you were disguised as the former Colonel for a time, sir."

"Ah, I see. You're dismissed, Private," Havoc commanded. The blond man saluted and walked back out of the room. "FRAK!" Havoc cursed, pounding the bed with his good hand. "Frak…" he moaned, covering his face with that same hand.

"What is it?" Winry asked, alarmed.

"Roy organized the staged uprising. You know the one that caused a whole frakking war! If they bring that into the charges, then the Colonel will be facing two charges of treason. He's not going to make it, there's no way he can. Oh Gods we're so frakked," Havoc moaned. Winry looked down at her hands.

Why? Why did misfortune seem to follow her everywhere? First her parents, then Ed and Al, then Ed and Al again, and now this? She didn't know Roy exceptionally well, but she knew him enough to know he didn't deserve to die. Dread-filled silence hung in about them like a plague. Winry's anxiety was getting so bad her hands began to shake with fear. She folded them in her lap. The last remaining sane portion of her brain realized that the blond private had called Havoc 'Captain' as opposed to 'Lieutenant.' "Jean," Winry began.

"Hmm?"

"Were you promoted?"

Havoc gave a half-hearted laugh, "You noticed. While you were out the Fuhrer stopped by and promoted me to Captain. I always wondered how Riza managed it, but I guess I've figured it out. All you have to do is get half of your men frakking killed and they'll give you a frakking medal for it!" Havoc spat. Winry looked back down.

"Well, congratulations anyhow," She whispered. Havoc nodded and sat back.

A middle aged woman poked her head in the door, "Winry?" The blonde picked her head up in acknowledgement. "There's a phone for you," The woman finished. Winry nodded and followed her out the door. In the entry of the building, the receptionist handed Winry a phone.

"Hello?"

"Winry? This is Izumi."

"Sensei? What is it?"

"The Gate."

Winry gasped, "Did Al do it? Did he summon it?"

"No, he was inside reading and I was gardening. It just appeared in my yard. Then there was all this blue smoke that engulfed it and it was gone, but it showed up."

Winry was speechless, "Do you… do you think it's Ed?"

"Trying to reach us from the other side? That's what Al thinks, but I'm not so sure."

Both ends of the line were quiet. "Thank you, Sensei," Winry said before handing the phone back to the receptionist.


	8. Chapter 8

EDWARD

Balancing his weight against the closed door, Ed fumbled for the door swinging in the abyss. He pulled it closed and locked it, shutting out any hope of retrieving his aunt. Not that there was any hope to begin with, she'd already been swallowed by the nothingness. Hastily wiping tears from his eyes, Ed turned back to the accursed computer. He could feel the machine slowing down; he just needed to bring it to a stop, preferably on the ground.

Finally, with a whirring of the engine-of-sorts, his little booth landed. Well, more accurately it crashed. It hit the ground with such ferocity that the bottom shattered. Shards of glass ricocheted off the walls, slicing both into Ed's skin and the computer. Bruised and bleeding, Ed grabbed the stabilization controls. If he didn't do something soon, the whole damn thing would explode. The frame creaked around him. It had likely been cracked in the landing. He needed to work fast, the fusion tank was smoking something awful, and some parts of the computer itself had started steaming.

After trying command after command in a futile attempt to shut down the machine, Ed finally gave up. He turned and bolted out and away from the booth. He was still all too close when it exploded. The shock wave sent him to his knees as shards of metal flew in every direction. "Dammit…" he muttered as he pushed himself to his feet. Where was he? He glanced around. He had landed in some sort of town. He stood in the center of a dirty cobblestone street. The buildings around him seemed almost primitive in style, most were made of wood. The conglomeration of browns formed from his surroundings gave the entire situation a very poor and dreary atmosphere. But something was definitely off. Something was missing. Noise. This place was eerily quiet. Where were all the people? Where were the merchants trying to sell their over-priced products to the people of the city? Where were the screaming children playing chase as they dodged through the legs of their annoyed parents? What had happened to cause this? No doubt about it, this place gave him the creeps. He was immensely glad he had grabbed his red coat earlier that morning as he pulled it closer around himself to fend off the haunted chill of the place. Glancing around nervously, he began limping down the street. Did Karla land here? He would have called her name, but the oppressive silence kept his mouth shut. A bird squawked overhead. "Well, at least this place isn't completely devoid of life," Ed muttered to himself. There was something else though. Something other than the eerie quiet. The air buzzed around him. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

As he passed a cross street, a small breeze brought a horrid stench to his attention. Curiosity overpowered logic, and he followed the smell. He wished he hadn't. The sight that greeted him was burned into his mind and haunted him for the rest of his life. A heap of rotting humanity spilled across the street. Decaying bodies intertwined with dismembered, blood-soaked limbs. He couldn't dream of counting the bodies, there were too many. A few large crows hopped from body to body picking at their stinking flesh. Ed turned and ran away from the sight. He doubled over as his lunch was violently forced out of his stomach. Still shaking, he stumbled forward again before collapsing against the side of a house. This was wrong. This was so wrong. What could have done this? Was Karla here when this happened?! No. Oh hell no. He wouldn't believe it. Karla had to be alive. He'd seen her not even ten minutes ago. She couldn't be dead. Not yet.

The ground was vibrating slightly. No, was it the house? The vibrations pulsed in regular intervals. They weren't strong… Ed shakily got to his feet. His metal leg rattled as the vibrations became steadily stronger. What the hell was causing it? He moved to glance around the side of the house. A giant, naked, human-like thing was lumbering toward him. It had to be at least seven meters tall, and it was grinning. As it moved closer, Ed realized that no, it wasn't grinning. It just didn't have skin covering its teeth. The ground shook with each step it took. Ed pressed himself up against the wall of the house. Maybe it hadn't seen him. He silently prayed that it would pass over him and not look down. Its footsteps drew closer and closer. Abruptly they stopped. Ed forced his trembling, reluctant head to look up. The thing was over him, looking down at him. It opened its mound almost hungrily and a giant meaty tongue lolled out. He wanted to run. Oh gosh did he want to. But his feet were rooted to their spot. He couldn't move. It was like a nightmare. No, it was a nightmare. It had to be. Nothing like this could happen in real life, right?

He was jolted out of his train of thought by the pressing danger of reality. The creature was reaching for him. If he didn't move now, he was done for. Years of instinct took command. He spun on his heel, clapping his hands together as he did so. This was pointless. He knew he couldn't do alchemy any more. He couldn't stop it now though, inertia had taken over. His hands buzzed with the unusual energy of the air as they crashed into the side of the house. A wave of electricity ran out from his hands, encompassing the small, wooden building. The structure morphed, growing rapidly taller and sharpening. The tip of the house sliced into the neck of the giant, severing its head. Ed ducked as the gargantuan head came crashing down next to him. Its body crumpled and began steaming heavily. He'd beaten it. Using alchemy! He supposed that the buzzing in the air was responsible for that. Were there so many souls floating around that The Gate couldn't pull them all through?

He allowed himself a moment to breathe. This day could not get any worse, or any weirder. He sighed and began meandering away. Movement in the corner of his eye made him stop short. Slowly he turned around. The steam surrounding the body of the thing he'd just killed was thick, but through it he saw something moving. The body stood, white smoke pouring from its neck. It wasn't dead? "Oh, hell no," Ed breathed before turning and bolting away from the creature. Maybe he could find shelter? Would it even follow him? It didn't exactly have a head… even so soon after he had started running, Ed was breathing heavily. He hadn't run much since his legs became uneven, and he was sorely out of shape. Ducking into the space between two houses, Ed allowed himself a small breather. He looked back. The steam at the top of the creature's head was thinning. Ed stifled a gasp as the giant threw its newly-grown head back and yowled. Regeneration? Was that even possible?

He was trembling. Was he really that shaken by this? Then again, how could he not be? He groaned and wiped his hands over his face. They came away wet. Startled, he looked down. His white gloves were stained a dark, sticky red. He took the glove off his left hand and felt his forehead. Surely enough, there was a decently sized gash stretching from the center of his face down to nearly his ear. The only reasonable explanation was that he had been cut when he first crash landed. Groaning softly, he pressed his already blood-soaked glove to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

The ground began trembling for a second time. It was coming for him again. "Dammit," Ed cursed, as he tried to squeeze further into the space between the two buildings. Could it smell him? A shadow blocked the sun. Ed looked up. The creature's giant eye was looking down between the buildings directly at him. "I AM NOT DYING TODAY!" he yelled as he clapped his hands and transmuted the building. The giant once again lost its head. Ed coughed as steam surrounded him and the body. This time he didn't hesitate to turn and run as far away as possible. He didn't look back.

….

He stumbled out of the town, muscles screaming. Scared of what he might see, Ed rolled up his left pant leg. His automail hadn't been properly repaired in nearly a year, and due to the fact that this leg was shorter, it had been coming down harder on the ground, which didn't help the situation. His leg showed the wear. The main plating was cracked, and he suspected the inner workings were in a like state. This wasn't good. He would need to take the entire thing apart in order to fix it, he would also need to find replacement parts… he groaned. It seemed that nothing was going his way. Maybe if he alchemically glued everything back together it would hold until he could find people. Unless they'd all been eaten by whatever that thing was.

He clapped his hands and put them to his leg. He could feel it shift and snap back into place. He winced as his nerves pinched. Glancing over his shoulder, he could still see the twenty-foot giant lumbering towards him. Damn, it was fast. He never wanted to see it try and run. He looked away from the abandoned town and was met with an expansive amount of what once was farmland. It looked to have been unused for maybe five or six years. Which direction could he go? Would it really matter? He sighed quietly and began running in a south-easternly direction.

He was probably going to die here. And soon. There was no way he could keep running from that thing forever. Especially if there were more of them. No. he wouldn't die. If he could find Karla they could use alchemy to get back to their world. Back home. Would it kill them? Surprisingly, the thought didn't startle him. The little alchemy he'd already done had exhausted him. It was a miracle that he was still moving (of course, that could also be due to adrenaline). Doing that major of an alchemic feat wouldn't be in any way easy.

In his trance, Ed failed to notice a rock on the ground, and kicked as he ran. His knees gave out and he tumbled to the ground. Blood from his forehead leaked into his eye. He rolled over to look behind him. The creature was close, practically on top of him. He wasn't going to die. He couldn't die. He hadn't found Karla yet. He struggled to his feet, legs shaking. His vision was blurry and spinning. "Dammit," Ed cursed. If he passed out now he was a dead man. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. The shadow from the creature's enormous head passed over him. He began running again. It was too close to him, he could never maintain a distance this way. If he died here, no one would know. No one would find his body. No one would mourn his death.

He looked up. There was something ahead. Something… it looked tall. As he neared it, he realized it was a wall. A wall! Walls mean mankind, safety, or at least some kind of security. He stumbled, but caught his balance. He couldn't stop now, he was close. To what? He didn't know. The wall could have been a false hope, a false dream. But right now, that was enough.

The creature's shadow never left him. It was always right behind him. It never did start running. Walking was enough to allow it to keep up with Ed's short, imbalanced stride. Soon the wall was looming over him. It just grew taller and taller as he neared it, so once he reached the bottom he had to crane his neck to see the top. He put his hands on the wall. Could he make a door? The energy in the air coursed through his fingers. Somehow, it told him that the wall was extraordinarily thick. He wasn't surprised, but making a door was out of the question. He just needed to make a hole in it large enough to run through. He tried to recall the chemical composition of granite. Was there a gas he could make out of these elements? A liquid? The creature was reaching for him. If he didn't think quickly…

The answer came. He clapped his hands and pushed them to the wall. He stumbled forward, barely evading the giant's grasp. He ran through the hole in the wall, his feet sticking to the gelatinous yellow liquid on the ground. When he reached the other side he took no time in spinning around and changing the wall back to normal. His vision swam and he collapsed against the wall.

….

"Should we move him?"

"What do we do? I've never seen him before."

"What do you think he did to the wall?"

"Shh! He's waking up!"

Ed groaned quietly and opened his eyes. A small hoard of people was hovering over him. They all looked to be a mixture of worried and confused. "What happened?"

"You passed out after you turned yellow goo into the wall!" a little boy answered.

"I passed out. I don't blame myself," Ed muttered. He began to move his hand toward his face and suddenly was immeasurably grateful that he'd dropped the glove to his real hand and not the one covering his automail. Taking his flesh hand, he gingerly felt the gash on his forehead. "Is it still bleeding?" he asked.

"Yes, we sent Dalia after bandages. She should be back shortly," a young woman said, glancing over her shoulder. "We should have a doctor look you over," She said, turning back to Ed.

He nodded, "Okay, I'm fine with that." That same woman outstretched her hand. He took it and she aided him in standing up. Once up, his legs almost gave out. She grabbed him around the waist and linked his arm (thankfully it was his left arm) over her shoulders. He smiled at her. "Thanks, I don't think I know your name."

She smiled in return, "My name is Tasha. And yours?"

"Edward."

"Edward, you're a mystery."

"Maybe so."

"Marki, find Dalia. Tell her he woke up and I'm taking him to Doctor Mayes." A blonde girl nodded and ran off. "The rest of you, shoo!" Tasha waved her hand and the remaining crowd, which dispersed. She began guiding Ed forward. "You're limping, is something wrong?"

"No, one of my legs is just a bit shorter. Nothing to worry about," Ed consoled. "If I ask a strange question, will you promise not to judge?"

"No promises, but I'll try not to."

"Where are we?"

"Inside Wall Rose, in the far North Western district."

"What are those giant human-like things outside the wall?"

"Titans. Dean says he saw you with one on your tail."

"The little boy?"

"Yeah. He's the only one who saw the whole thing. Says he saw the wall melt into a yellow goo, then you ran through as a titan was trying to grab you. Then you magically sealed the wall again."

Ed chuckled, "Yeah that's about right."

"I can't decide if you're being sarcastic or not. Turn here," Tasha said, nudging him toward a small hut. A middle-aged man sat on the porch. "Doctor Mayes!" she called. He looked up and ran down to them.

"Tasha! Who's this?"

"Edward. He came through the wall, and he's in an awful state. Can you help him?"

Doctor Mayes nodded and motioned them inside. "What exactly were you doing outside the wall, boy?" he asked.

"Looking for someone," Ed answered. It was true.

"From the Recon Corps? Son, if they don't come back, they're gone. " the old doctor sat Ed down on a wooden chair and began examining his wounds.

"The what? Oh never mind. Not that. A friend. I lost a friend, her name is Karla Elric. Do you know her?"

"I'm afraid not. I'll ask around though," Dr. Mayes promised as he wrapped a crisp white bandage around Ed's head. "Take off your coat, I need to see where these cuts come through." Delicately, Ed removed his old, red coat to reveal his very English style of dressing. "How many layers are you wearing? You don't mind if I cut those off you? They're so blood encrusted I don't think you could get them off on your own anyway," he said, reaching for a pair of scissors.

"Actually, I'd rather you didn't-" Ed began, but the doctor wasn't listening. He bent the small blond boy forward and cut down the center of his back. The cloth peeled away from his bloody skin, revealing his metal shoulder.

"What is this?" he asked, peeling the cloth away to reveal Ed's automail arm (which was in horrible disrepair, however, still functional). "You're… metal!"


	9. Chapter 9

EREN

Everyone says that extraordinary things happen on ordinary days. It is possible that this was true. In any case, it was all a matter of perspective. It had been an ordinary day that the Colossal Titan first broke through the wall. However, in that same sense, it had been an extraordinary day that his mother died and he vowed revenge, which had kick-started a chain of events so great it would be near impossible to image how the world would be now if he hadn't. It had been an ordinary day when he asked his father to allow him to accompany him to the Ackerman's house, but because his father had allowed it, it became an extraordinary day on which he met Mikasa. It was made more extraordinary by the fact that he killed two men at the young age of nine to save her. It had been an ordinary, routine cleaning of the walls when the Colossal Titan had appeared for a second time. This had created the extraordinary circumstances in which he had first become a Titan. After that, there hadn't been many ordinary days.

Until just recently.

The entire Recon Corps had been on a "break" of sorts after the capture of Annie, the Female Titan. Erwin had been working with Levi to rebuild the squad that would look after Eren. Most everyone was relaxing in the castle fortress in an attempt to recover from the intensity of the past few days. The new recruits were set to work tidying up. Again. Even though they were considered full members since they'd survived a trip outside the walls. (The older members kept saying that it didn't count because it had lasted less than a day).

In any sense, it had been nice. Eren and his friends had let their guards drop. They'd laughed more, relaxed more, and genuinely talked more than they had since… it felt like forever. Their hearts were heavy with the memory of lost friends, but their spirits were light because they had to be. Connie and Sasha had even vowed to make Corporal "Grumpy Pants" Rivaille smile. So far… they were failing.

"He never smiles. It's hopeless!" Sasha moaned one night as the younger members of the Survey Corps sat down to dinner.

"He smiles when he's cleaning. Maybe that's what we need to do. Crap all over a room and get him new cleaning supplies," Connie suggested, smirking as he shoved a roll into his mouth.

"Go ahead and do that, but don't expect me to join you," Jean scoffed.

"Oh lighten up, horse-face," Eren teased, poking Jean with his fork.

"Horse face! That's a good one!" Connie laughed. Even Mikasa, who tried so hard to hide away all and any emotion, cracked a smile. Jean tried to laugh it off.

"Sure, whatever. At least I'm not spreading crazy rumors about a half-metal, magic kid from another world," Jean pointedly glared at Christa, a playful glint to his eye.

She attempted to control her giggling long enough to become defensive. "He's real! I saw him with my own eyes!"

"Wait, who is this?" Reiner asked, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Just a stupid rumor."

"I said he's real."

"This isn't clearing anything up."

"I don't know if it's a rumor or not, but this is essentially what the story is," Armin piped up, throwing an annoyed glance at Jean and Christa, who blushed. "Basically, about a week ago just north of the Karanese District, a little boy saw the wall "melt" and someone ran through. The newcomer rebuilt the wall with a clap of his hands before collapsing. Supposedly he's been roaming the cities magically fixing the broken items of the residents in exchange for information. Some people say he's looking for someone, others say he's trying to learn as much as he can about us so he can more easily either kill us off or subjugate us. Also, most people believe he's partly metal. The most common metal rumor is that his entire right half is silver," Armin finished.

"I've seen him! I swear I have!" Christa exclaimed before anyone else could say anything.

"That's a pretty ridiculous tale," Reiner said, "Do you think it's true?"

"They say that behind every rumor there's a grain of truth," Bertolt said quietly.

"So, if we're assuming that there is some truth behind this story, what would it be?" Reiner asked.

"Maybe he's a titan shifter?" Ymir suggested.

"Doesn't that seem a bit far-fetched for titan shifter? Besides, if he was, wouldn't he want to stay below the radar?" Armin pointed out.

"Well maybe the person he's looking for needs to know that he's looking for them, so that's why he's putting himself out there," Christa said.

"Who is he looking for? Does anybody know?" Eren asked, only mildly interested in the topic at hand.

"The name varies quite a bit, but it's something like Carrie Elric or Carlie Elrod or something like that." Armin said, his face scrunching as eh fought to remember.

"I heard Karla Elrod," Christa piped in.

"Basically the name varies and no one's ever heard of her, so no one really bothers," Armin finished.

"Huh," Reiner sat back and began munching on a roll. Everyone was quiet.

"Of course," Christa's face was thoughtful and she seemed to be oblivious to everyone in the room, "It could have been Karla Elric, I couldn't hear very well."

That name caught Eren off guard. He spit out the drink in his mouth and slammed his cup on the table in surprise. "Karla Elric? Are you sure?" He practically shouted.

"Whoa there, Eren. What makes you so interested all of the sudden?"

Eren turned to glare at Jean's smug face. "Karla Elric was my mother's maiden name. If he's looking for her then…" Then he must be from wherever she came from.

When he was little, she told him magnificent tales of another land where one thing could turn into another with a clap of your hands if you were skilled enough. She always said she was from that land, and one day a boy from there would show up to get her and take her back home. As he got older, he heard less and less of the other world, and slowly came to believe that it was all a fairy tale his mother created.

Until now.

"Dude, he knew your mom? That's so weird," Connie gaped.

"Christa, Armin, do either of you know his name?" Eren demanded.

"Edward, I think…" Armin said.

"Yep. Edward," Christa confirmed.

"And you're sure about this?" Eren insisted.

"Geez Eren, I didn't know it was this important to you," Connie said, waving his hands in front of his face as if to show surrender.

"Yeah, what is your problem?" Jean asked, smirking.

Eren was thoroughly annoyed. "I don't remember very well, but when I was little, my mom told me stories about another world where people could do magic of sorts. She said she was from there and one day my cousin, her nephew, Edward Elric would show up in a little glass booth and take her back home."

"And you believed her?" Sasha asked, mouth agape.

"Hell no! The only proof she had was that there was no record of her existence anywhere until my dad saw her 'fall from the sky' about four years before I was born."

"Maybe it's all one giant, elaborate prank your mom and dad planned," Connie suggested.

"I would say less of a prank and more pertaining to Eren's basement and whatever the hell is locked inside there," Reiner added, shrugging.

"I don't know what importance he has, but I need to find him," Eren insisted, standing up.

Mikasa grabbed his sleeve, "Eren. How do you know this is even real? It could just be someone trying to catch you off guard," She insisted, her eyes showing none of the worry she felt.

"It couldn't be. The only ones who knew about this were Mom, me, and Dad!" Eren yelled, yanking his arm away from Mikasa's grip.

"Maybe we can talk to Levi tomorrow," Armin half-squeaked.

"Or we could just go tonight!"

"You're not allowed to leave without an escort of trusted senior officers," Jean pointed out, also standing to meet Eren's eyes.

Eren stared him down. "Fine," he sighed exasperatedly, over exaggerating his annoyance with his friend. "But we should send out a military search to find him."

"On what grounds? We can't just capture a civilian because your mom might have known him," Jean retorted.

"We could claim we suspect him of being a titan shifter. It's common knowledge that eh Survey Corps is after them," Eren replied, stone faced.

"He has a point," Armin said hopefully after a moment of heated silence.

"If he does know something, it would be best to bring him in as soon as possible," Mikasa added.

Eren nodded sharply, "I'll go talk to the Corporal."

"Oh hell no you're not going alone," Jean smacked his hand on the table. Eren glared at him, which Jean returned coldly.

Eren turned and walked out of the room, pausing at the doorway to throw a cold comment to Jean. "Hey asshole, coming or not?"

…

The senior officers accepted their proposal and a squad went out in search of the mystery boy that night.

"If this kid and all of his magic shit turn out to be real, everyone will want him. The Military Police will want him dead, the Garrison will want him, we'll want him, hell, I bet even that frakking church will want their hands on him." Levi said as he toyed with a glass holding some variety of alcoholic beverage.

Eren nodded, "I know, sir, but-"

"But nothing. I just wish Erwin didn't trust brats like you so damn much." Levi muttered. "You're dismissed," He waved the two younger boys out of the room.

"How long do you think it'll take to find him?" Jean asked as they descended the stairs into the cool, musty basement.

"Not long. If Christa says she's seen him then there's a good chance he's somewhere in the area," Eren replied. "They'll probably have him by morning."

"That's assuming they give top priority to this goose-chase of yours."

"It's too great of a coincidence to not be important."

"But he's six years late, if he indeed is here to whisk your mom away."

"Closer to twenty."

"Twenty?"

"Yeah. The first record of her anywhere is twenty years ago in the Shinganshina medical records."

"So we are accepting the fact that your mother is from another world?"

Eren was quiet. "Not just yet."

…

"Get your shitty ass out of bed!" Corporal Reveille yelled into the dungeon cell that had become Eren's room. The younger boy groaned and sat up.

"What is it, heichou?" he moaned as he fought to wake up.

"We found that brat you sent us after. You'd better get up there quickly, or Hanji will have dissected him before you get a word in." Levi grimaced and walked away.

Blinking sleep from his eyes, Eren stumbled out of bed and threw his clothes on. As the reality of what Levi had said sank in, Eren's excited anger began to flourish and he became steadily more alert. Without meaning to, Eren realized he was running for the stairs. This boy was real. He very possibly had known his mom. That was all that was certain. He could know something about the basement. If he could do magic then he could be useful. Eren never would have considered the magic portion of the rumor to be true if his mother hadn't also testified towards that fact. In any sense, it all would be determined now.

He reached the top of the stairs. Two older officers were braced against the thrashing of a short, blond boy. This couldn't possibly be Edward, could it? He was just so… small.

"Get your bloody hands off me!" the boy yelled, trying frantically to pull his hands away from the officers holding him captive. "I told you, I'm not a damned titan shifter! I've only seen one of the bloody things in my life! Dammit, let go!" he yelled. He really didn't look like much. Long, blond hair framed intensely gold eyes. He was wearing a red coat that looked like it'd seen more wear than it was worth atop a solid black outfit. White gloves covered his hands. It almost looked like he was trying to hide something. Maybe the metal rumor was true.

Hanji bounced over to Eren. "We found him and I am dying to do some tests so-"

"Hanji," Erwin warned from the side of the room. She bowed her head in submission and walked over to her commander's side.

"Tests? If you try any funny business is swear to- dammit don't hold me so tight! I'm just looking for someone. Peacefully. Do any of you know Karla Elric?" The blond looked around the room hopefully.

Rage boiled in Eren's chest. This brat was looking for his mom. Before anyone could say anything to stop him, Eren's fist was hurtling toward the soft spot in Edward's abdomen. "You know nothing about my mom!" Eren yelled as the smaller boy doubled over in pain.

Edward coughed as he tried to catch his breath. "And who, exactly, is your mom?"

"Are you pretending not to know?!" From the other side of the room, some people moved to restrain Eren. Erwin waved them back. Eren could sort this out on his own.

The blond boy's eyes went wide. "Oh no. how long has it been? You can't be her kid! I saw her a week ago! Where is she? Can I see her?"

"She's dead. She's been dead for nearly six years, you bastard!"

The fire left the small boy's golden eyes. He looked down slowly, as if in defeat. "No…" he breathed. "Dammit, NO. I promised her. I promised her I would get her home! Dammit I'm always too frakking late!" he screamed at the floor, his voice obviously threatening to break. The officers holding him released his arms and he collapsed to the floor. "Dammit, why?" he moaned.

"Really effective, Eren. Nice work," Jean called from the top of the stairs.

"Shut it, asshole," Eren said, throwing a nasty look over his shoulder to the taller boy.

"Maybe you can tell us who you are, exactly," Erwin offered as a conversational change of course.

The blond looked up to meet Erwin's gaze. "My name is Edward Elric, son of Trisha Elric and Van Hohenheim. I'm sixteen years old, I'm a State Alchemist, and I just want to get back home."

Zoe Hanji's face lit up. "Alchemy? I've heard about Alchemy. It was proven impossible about 3,000 years ago, was it not?"

"Hanji, where did you learn this?" Erwin asked.

"From that time I snuck into the Emperor's palace library and read as much as I could about human history and the outside world," Hanji beamed.

"Should've guessed," Levi rolled his eyes at his friend's ridiculous enthusiasm.

"Anywho, Alchemy," Zoe motioned Edward to keep talking.

"It should be impossible in this world, but something happened and I can do Alchemy here. Like this," Ed clapped his hands together and pressed tem to the floor. To everyone's amazement, the floor morphed and changed shape under his hands to take the form of a small, wooden doll. Some officers became uneasy and reached for their swords.

"That's amazing! Levi, can I keep him?" Hanji exclaimed, grabbing the Corporal's arm.

"Say, do you have any military experience with that 'State Alchemist' title?" Erwin asked as Levi tried to pull Hanji off of him.

"Yeah. I've been an Alchemist for the State Military since I was twelve."

"Well then, it's going to get out that we have you, and knowing the Military Police, they're going to want to kill you. So we can fight to keep you in the Recon Corps if you want," Erwin smiled. Having someone like this in the Recon Corps would mean big things in terms of success rate.

Ed look flustered. "Uh, sure. But only because I have nothing better to do."

Eren grimaced. Did he really have to stay?


	10. Chapter 10

WINRY

Jean Havoc's rehabilitation was coming along nicely. His surgery had been moved to top priority because he needed to testify in court, so she had been working almost solely with him to make sure he was functional by the time Roy's trial came around. Though she had repeatedly insisted she needed to monitor him, she wasn't allowed to attend the court meeting. Instead, she paced nervously around her small room trying to focus on building all the automail parts she needed. Of course, the whole 'focusing' thing didn't happen.

She paced up and down the length of her room, glancing repeatedly at the clock, willing it to move faster. She would try and convince herself that working would get her mind off it, but that only worked for a short time at best. She hadn't heard anything from Al or Sensei since they saw the gate, and any military officer she could've talked to was occupied by the upcoming trial and too busy to attend to the wants of a needy teenager.

By the time Havoc was supposed to be returned to the hospital, Winry had word a visible trail on the carpet of her room. Glancing back at it as she ran out the door, she wondered where her life had gone. She'd never been a pacer. The thought was fleeting, and left her as soon as the door was shut.

The distance between the hospital and her room wasn't long, so she was content walking. It gave her time to organize her worry into questions she could ask. It wasn't an easy task. Even as she pushed open the front door of the hospital fifteen minutes later, her mind was still a jumbled mess. She fumbled for the ID card the medical staff had given her and showed it to the receptionist, eager to juice anything out of Havoc she could. Turns out, it wasn't much. The captain was in a great deal of pain, so naturally would already be less chatty than normal. On top of this, he was extremely dismal about how the trail was laying out.

Winry walked into his room to find him moaning, his good hand covering his face.

"Not good?" She asked.

"Not at all," Havoc replied.

"Where does it hurt?" She asked, walking over to the side of his bed.

"Everywhere," he moaned.

"I'm sorry," she said, gently grabbing his half-metal hand. The skin was red and slightly swollen where the automail was attached to his flesh. He winced as she touched it. "Sadly, this is normal," She said, sighing. As she treated the swelling, her mind was overrun with the desire to ask after the trial. Winry knew it was all still fresh in Havoc's mind, but whether it was fresh and painful or fresh and hopeful, she didn't know. The chances that the trial was going well seemed to be slim, but the unnatural situation gave Roy more of a chance of survival, didn't it?

Jean studied her face, brows furrowed. "You want to know what happened today, don't you."

Winry winced against his accusation, but she could not deny that it was true. "Um, well, yes."

He sighed, his face screwing up against the pain, which was probably both physical and emotional. "Let's just say that the prosecution has a really good case, and all the defense can say is that the military was being run by homunculi." He looked away again, not daring to meet her eyes. She knew that Jean had known the Colonel for much longer than she had and had worked closely with him for many years. He was suffering worse than she was, but she couldn't help but pity her poor situation.

"That doesn't sound very good," she internally winced at her own external lack of sympathy.

"No, it really isn't," Havoc eye's flitted aimlessly around the room and his good hand reached up to the corner of his mouth as if to readjust a cigarette. Upon realizing that there was nothing there, he cursed under his breath. "Frakking hospital doesn't let me smoke," he half-smiled at Winry, obviously trying to change the subject and lighten the mood.

"Good thing, too. I'd never be able to stand you for this long if you were smoking," She tried to mimic his lighter mood, but dread still hung in the air like fog.

"Have you heard anything from Izumi lately?"

"Not since the gate showed up a few days ago."

"Ah. Do you think it was Ed?"

"I think it's possible. I would very much like it to be true, but lately I've doubted if he's even alive…" Winry trailed off, realizing just how much more pessimistic she'd become in the past few months. She didn't want to be, nor had she realized her slow decline from her usually optimistic self.

"I bet he's still out there. That kid is made of some tough stuff. He won't die that easily- dammit Winry, that hurt!"

"Sorry! Just doing my job," Winry insisted as she adjusted some of the wiring in Jean's hastily-put-together leg.

"Well you could try being a little nicer," he teased, to which she rolled her eyes.

"Just be quiet, you're sounding more like Ed every day." It was meant to be an insult, but no sooner had the words left her mouth than she realized that was the reason she enjoyed being around Havoc so much. She bit her lip to try and persuade this new wave of emotion to leave.

"Hey, you okay?" Jean had noticed her sudden discomfort.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she tried to smile at him as if nothing was wrong. He was by no means fooled, but chose to keep quiet. She desperately didn't want this to be an awkward conversation, but it seems that it was doomed from the start. She sighed softly and began cleaning up.

"You're leaving already?"

"There's not a lot I can do. You didn't break anything, and nothing weird is happening. I've got to operate on Fuery, so I'll just leave you to the physical therapists." She attempted a nonchalant smile.

"Fine," Havoc moaned. Winry could tell he was only feigning grumpy, possibly in hopes that it would make her smile. It did work for a time, and she smiled softly as she waked out of the room; but it would be a long time yet before anything would make her genuinely happy.

…

Lost in thought and consequently oblivious to the world around her, Winry didn't notice the telegraph boy until she nearly ran into him.

"Are you Winry Rockbell?" he asked.

"Yes. Um, yeah. I'm so sorry," she stuttered, apologizing for the near-collision.

"It's all fine," The boy smiled innocently. "I have a telegraph for you," he said, handing her a small, folded piece of paper.

"Thank you," Winry said. The boy nodded, turned, and began walking back down the hospital hallway. After watching him for a few seconds, Winry leaned up against a wall and unfolded the message.

WINRY ROCKBELL

AL OPENED THE GATE BUT THE SHOCK HAS LEFT HIM BEDRIDDEN. HE CAN OPEN THE GATE AGAIN, BUT CANNOT GO THROUGH. COME HOME QUICKLY.

IZUMI

Winry read and reread those few lines of text, trying to convince herself this was real. What did Sensei mean, "The shock has left him bedridden?" Was Al… was he okay?


	11. Chapter 11

EDWARD

"You know, I really am glad we have a secluded castle as a headquarters," Erwin remarked as he and Zoe Hanji watched Edward struggle through basic 3DMG exercises. He sighed, "I never thought I'd hear myself way that, and now I've said it twice within a month." He shook his head, smiling slightly.

What exactly were the perks of this place? Ed wondered as he tried (largely unsuccessfully) to swing through the trees behind the castle fortress. He was feeling awfully sore, the harness was too tight for his liking and he'd slammed into far more trees than he wanted to. He'd been in a training crash-course for the past two and a half weeks and he honestly felt like he would explode. He hurt everywhere, and his perfectionist tendencies were cursing him for not getting everything right. He hadn't gotten much sleep (granted, he was used to that) and he'd been beaten practically to a pulp every day. More and more he was grateful that he and Al had been sparring partners; his younger brother was a much more formidable opponent than most everyone in the Survey Corps. That being said, he was severely out of practice. Maybe having a secluded castle fortress wasn't so bad. Here, fewer people would be able to see him fail.

As he swung around a tree with an utter lack of grace, he saw Erwin raise a hand as a signal to land. Landings were very possibly his weakest point, and in a blur of legs and grappling wires, Ed landed flat on his face. Groaning in annoyance, he pushed himself to his feet and hobbled over to the commander.

"You are looking better," Erwin began.

"Yeah right," Ed scoffed, stubbornly refusing to look at his commander.

"Edward, look at me." The young blond ignored him. "You've only been doing this for two weeks. Everyone else here has been training for years. We don't expect you to be perfect right off."

"Levi does."

"Hanji, you're not helping."

"Sorry."

Erwin sighed and willed himself to focus. "When you're turning, lean into your outside foot. It'll help you. And remember that however you balance your weight will directly affect how much you turn. Try again."

Ed knew all of this; he'd been told repeatedly that he needed to balance his weight more efficiently. As he jumped into the air again he spitefully wondered if Erwin would fly so well if he had body parts that weighed significantly more than they should. Automail was designed to be lightweight, but it was always going to be heavier than flesh. However, he'd never actually noticed its weight until he was forced to fly through the trees like some sort of human-bird.

He realized too late that his wandering thoughts had caused him to lose focus, and he was headed straight for a tree.

…

If flying was bad, trying to be social was worse. Most everyone was entirely cold to him, with the exception of Zoe Hanji. She was a little over-enthusiastic when it came to interacting with the small, blond boy. Thankfully, her enthusiastic, curious nature was the perfect gateway for him to glean information about where the hell he was.

He was sitting down to dinner with Hanji and her squad (by invitation), Hanji looking thrilled for the company and everyone else looking mildly annoyed.

"Er, squad leader," Ed began, fumbling to turn his question into a coherent sentence.

"mhmm?" Hanji answered, her mouth stuffed with food.

"What… year is this?"

"851"

"That was a bad question. What is the, er… history of this place?"

Hanji slammed her spoon down. "Well why didn't you just ask?!" Ed sighed internally, because he had… "Well, about a century and a half ago titans started showing up, so the 'Europeans'" she took special care to emphasize the word, and even then, she pronounced it wrong, "built these three walls to protect themselves. They took 60-ish years to build, and by the time they were finished, most of humanity was dead. So the survivors locked themselves in here, and we lived peacefully for a century."

"Yeah, but before the titans. What happened then?"

Hanji was thoughtful. "I don't really know. I didn't get to read as much history as I wanted to when I broke into the King's library. But I think that human civilization was really advanced, and there were giant metal flying machines that people could drive IN THE SKY and little metal wagons that didn't need horse-power and stuff like that, but then people started getting really violent toward each other and there were three world wars. They restarted the calendar in 2043, after the third world war."

"Er… does the year 1921 have any meaning to you?"

"Well, it was about three years after the end of the First World War, or 'The Great War' as it was called. Um… not really though."

Ed sat back against his chair. "Damn…" he muttered in seeming awe.

"What is it?"

"I traveled 2,000 years in the future. My retarded little machine couldn't manage to open the gate, but it rocketed me two thousand years into the future."

"Really? So are you from 1921 then?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"That's so cool! Did they really have flying thingymajiggers?"

"Yeah, they were mainly used for war, though."

"Oh." There was a thoughtful silence for a few moments before Zoe's ever-racing mind decided to jump to a new topic. "So we're heading outside the wall tomorrow."

"What?" one of the members of her squad said, nearly spitting out his soup.

"You heard me." Hanji smiled nearly psychotically. "Erwin is taking a few squads out tomorrow to check the wall were Edward broke in."

"Um… can't we check from the inside? And second, isn't that a job for the Garrison?" the same guy asked.

"We already checked from the inside, the Garrison doesn't know about Ed or his wall-melting powers, they're still busy cleaning up Eren's mess inside Wall Sina, and we want to scout the area to make sure titans aren't congregating near the potential weakness in the wall." Hanji slammed the butt of her spoon on the table and grinned triumphantly. "One breath!"

"Is he coming?" another squad member of her squad asked, gesturing to Ed.

"Erwin thinks he should. If luck is in our favor, we won't have to use maneuvering gear, so he'll probably be fine."

Internally, Ed scoffed. Luck had utterly abandoned him long, long ago. Luck wasn't going to be in their favor, he could already have foretold that.

…

"You know, there's a reason Al and I walked everywhere," Ed grumbled as he attempted to climb onto the horse provided for him.

"Need some help?" Jean taunted, steering his horse over to where Ed was struggling.

"Shut it, horse face." Ed snapped, pointedly avoiding looking at Jean. The short jokes had been unrelenting ever since he showed up. Erwin and Hanji always insisted that it was just people using him as an outlet for all the pent-up short jokes that would have been directed at Levi. Since Ed was both (barely) shorter than the corporal and an easy target, he got picked on. A lot.

"Whatever you say, but if you need a stool, just call." Jean smirked before riding over to where the other new recruits were preparing for the trip.

"I hate him…" Ed muttered, finally hoisting himself onto the horse. Hanji, already mounted, rode over to Ed.

"You're going to be riding with Corporal Rivaille. We're leaving soon, you should go find him." Hanji smiled and rode away to her squad when he nodded his understanding.

Corporal Grumpy Pants. (He'd taken Connie and Sasha's nickname for him to heart. It was surprisingly accurate). The corporal had never been particularly cruel toward him; he maintained a cold distance, just as everyone else did. Erwin had repeatedly mentioned that it was normal for Levi, and he actually was quite fond of Ed. Naturally , he was doubtful of the corporal's supposed affection for him. As he neared where Levi and his squad were waiting to leave, his heart fell. Eren was in Levi's squad. EREN. His cousin. Edward really didn't want to hate him, but Eren was just such an ornery stick in the mud that he couldn't help it.

"Erwin expects us to go check this thing out, but if we leave then everyone will know something's up and the Military Police will be riding our asses before we know it." Eren whined.

"Erwin knows what he's doing. No one will know anything." Levi assured him, his eyes scanning the crowd before he found Edward riding toward him. "There you are brat. I was wondering if you would show."

Eren groaned, "Heichou, does he have to ride with us?"

"Yes, he does. You know, you two are so similar, it's a wonder you don't get along."

"Maybe we're too similar," Ed mumbled. It was true, the logical part of his brain insisted that he and his cousin were both too stubborn and quick to anger to get along. Ed smiled slightly remembering just how stubborn Karla and his own mother had been.

"What are you smirking at, bitch?" Eren demanded, glaring at the blond.

"I'm older than you, I have my rights."

"You can't be."

"Hell yeah I am. I turn seventeen in a few weeks. How old are you?"

Eren looked away in frustrated shame.

"Stop bickering for frak's sake. We're leaving." Levi said, throwing threatening glances at both boys.

"But Heichou, how are we getting out?" Eren again asked.

The corners of Levi's mouth turned up playfully. "You'll see."

Erwin led them off the castle grounds through the tick forest. Oftentimes, they split up into small groups to pass through populated areas, so as not to draw attention to themselves. Even though they were still in mankind's territory, tension hung in the air.

As they neared the wall, Erwin fell back to ride with Levi's squad. He paralleled his horse to Ed's. "You ready?" He asked softly.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Ed replied.

"Good. Come up with me then." Erwin spurred his horse into a faster trot, Ed at his heels. The commander nodded to Levi as they rode away to the front of the pack.

"Where the hell is he going?" Eren asked.

"With Erwin. How many questions are you going to ask?" Levi responded.

By the time he and Erwin reached the front of the group, they were faced with Wall Rose towering above their heads.

"Okay Ed, Work your magic."

"It's not magic," Ed mumbled as he slid off his horse and walked toward the wall. Behind him, he could tell Hanji was practically shaking with excitement. He rested his hands on the cool stone and felt the alchemic energy gather at his fingertips. He pulled his hands back, clapped, and quickly slammed his gloved palms against the wall as an electric current ran down his arms and into the stone, burning a hole large enough for a horse and rider to pass through. The air stopped buzzing for a moment as Ed stared at the outside world through this hole. The nasty, yellow goo coated the ground. His knees felt weak. He turned around to face the Scouting Legion. "The ground is going to be really sticky and nasty, but it's okay to pass."

Erwin smiled gratefully and led the procession through. Ed leaned up against the wall and watched people pass as he fought to make his head stop spinning. Alchemy was never this taxing back home. He looked up in time to see Eren glaring at him as he rode through the hole in the wall. Feeling defiant, Ed grinned and half-saluted the boy.

Three members were left behind to make sure the wall sealed totally, so Ed took theirs and his horses and led them through the hole before turning and sealing it again. Moments later, the last three members swung over the wall by use of 3DMG bearing news that the wall was sealed totally.

Ed clambered back onto his horse and rode over to Levi. Erwin gave the order to move south along the wall, and they were off. Levi's company rode in silence for a while, and it was obviously making Eren uncomfortable. They were nearing the place where Ed had broken through the wall. Glancing west, he could barely make out the town where he had crash landed. He shivered. Hopefully he wouldn't have to see another titan any time soon (though that was hardly likely). It wasn't long before he realized he wasn't shivering from his haunting memories. The warm alchemic tingle he had become accustomed to feeling was gone. Glancing around, he pulled the green cloak tighter around him.

"You okay?" Levi asked, barely glancing at the boy.

"Fine, yeah. Something's just… not right."

It hit him like a wave, and left him gasping for air. He bent over his horse's neck, shuddering under the weight of the flood of souls. Something was definitely not right. The last time he'd felt this was… the gate was here. It was open. He had to get to it. Without much room for thought, he turned his horse and galloped westward toward the source of the flood.

"Elric! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Levi called after him as Ed spurred his horse into an all-out run. The flood was lessening. He couldn't lose the signal. People were chasing him down, they would drag him back. He couldn't go back, not now. He had to find the gate. The town was getting closer, but so were the people chasing him.

"Edward! Slow the hell down!"

"You can't run off, you'll die!"

Another wave of energy hit him. Shock waves? His lungs felt like they were being crushed and his skin burned. But he was so close.

He reached the city and darted between buildings, both trying to locate the source of the shock wave (which had faded by now) and lose the two officers following him. He succeeded in losing the two officers by jumping off his horse and sending it in another direction while he ran toward the center of the city.

He heard a scream and began sprinting (the best he could) toward it. He turned a corner and saw a 7-meter titan with a hungry grin reaching into a broken, two-story building. Someone had to be in that building, the titan wouldn't reach in there for nothing. He knew he had about zero chance of killing the thing, he could barely control his maneuver gear as it was. Suddenly he wished he hadn't lost those two much more experienced officers.

Pulling two swords out of the sheaths at his sides, he kicked the maneuver gear into action and zoomed upward toward the titan's head. He needed to make a gash in its neck. How?! Thankfully it was distracted and didn't see Ed approaching. Unfortunately, he was unbalanced and crashed into the titan rather than slicing it. One of his two swords stuck deep in the side of the beast's neck and then, red blood began spewing from the wound. It evaporated quickly and Ed was engulfed in steam. He coughed, clinging to the sword as the titan thrashed and yelled in pain. He needed to kill it, but he was struggling not be thrown off as it was. He was losing his grip on the sword, and in a last-ditch effort, he clapped his hands together and pressed them to the titan's skin. It yelled and evaporated completely.

He realized almost too late that he was falling, and activated his 3DMG just in time. He clumsily pulled himself up to the hole in the second story of the building, and rolled onto the floor.

"Ed?" he heard someone gasp from inside the wooden, sunlit room. Alarmed, he whipped around and was met with clear, blue eyes he never thought he'd see again.

"Winry?"


	12. Chapter 12

RIZA

Even though she'd known that Roy's trial was going to cause some parts of the military to come to a standstill, she never expected the entire military to be in commotion over it. People were practically at each other's throats over whether or not Roy deserved to die. Honestly, if it went on for much longer, more than just Roy would be on trial for murder. That was the last thing they needed right now, especially with a war going on.

Quite frankly, Riza was exhausted. She could be taken to the front line of battle at any moment, she'd been attending court every day it was held, and she was being swamped by all her duties as a Colonel. She'd testified in court on multiple occasions, her testimonies being used both for and against Roy. She could testify that the late Fuhrer was conspiring with homunculi that were trying to create a philosopher's stone, she could testify that the same man had knowingly sent thousands of men to their deaths for that purpose, but she was also forced to admit that she was part of staging the uprising as well as aiding in the Fuhrer's assassination plot. Overall, it didn't look too pretty, and now the entire case and Roy's life were in the jury's hands. What they would decide was anybody's guess.

So now she was left to monitor and hopefully tone down the hostility rising between those who supported the former Colonel and those who wanted him dead. Not to mention she and many of the other high-ranking officers were in charge of making sure that none of this tumult leaked out into the public. With everything that was happening, losing their (already feeble) support from the public could cost them the war, and even the country.

She was practically falling asleep at her desk (from lack of adequate sleep) when the phone rang.

"Between you and me, I am getting really tired of phone calls," she said to no one in particular as she picked up the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello, this is Colonel Hawkeye."

"Hi, um, Colonel," Winry's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Oh hi, Winry," Riza replied, subconsciously relaxing. "Do you need anything?"

"Not really. I was just calling to tell you that I've finished working on Havoc's squad and I'm needed home, so I'm leaving."

"Okay. Thank you for coming on short notice."

"It's no problem, and good luck with the trial."

"Thanks, bye."

"Bye." The line went dead. Sighing, she placed the phone back on its stand. Winry was headed out of Central, which was good. She didn't seem too comfortable in the tumult. She was lucky she could escape it. So many hadn't been able to, so many had died…

Her elbows propped up on the table; she covered her face with her hands. Obviously she had blood on her hands, obviously she had killed people, she signed up for all of that when she joined the military. This was different. She'd started a war, a revolution even. She could feel the weight of the souls of those lives she'd ended pressing down on her, suffocating her. A lump rose in her throat and it burned as she tried to force it back down. Why? Why did it have to happen like this?

The door opened and her head shot up as she gasped slightly in surprise. A young officer stood there, one she knew she had seen around, but never bothered to learn the name of.

"Colonel, your presence is requested in the court room."

"Is the jury back?"

The soldier nodded. Sighing, Riza got to her feet. The jury had made a decision. Roy's life had hung in the balance for the past year, and now… in only a few minutes it would be announced whether he died or lived. He jury could levy anything against him. Treason, assassination, unauthorized war-like actions, most of which invoked the death penalty.

She and the young officer walked through the halls in silence, dread oppressing the desire to speak.

…

Riza had always hated court formalities. They were long winded, obnoxious, and wasteful. If they were simply avoided so much more could be accomplished in a much shorter span of time. However, she voiced none of these thoughts as she sat, patiently waiting for the judge and jury to get to the point regarding Roy's sentence. She could see him, and every once in a while he would send her a reassuring smile. He was just trying to stay optimistic, though they both knew he was the epitome of pessimism. And procrastination. She dared a small smile as the thought entered her mind.

"Would the spokesman for the Jury please announce your decision?"

Riza sat up straighter, her attention now wholly focused on the man in the jury that had stood. He cleared his throat.

"We have found Roy Mustang guilty of all charges." Any hope that had managed to leak into her heart was smashed. Roy was guilty. He was going to die. The judge would tell the day for his execution, and it would be over. Roy would be dead. She could tell people were still talking, though she didn't bother to listen. It was all formalities now. She was stuck staring straight ahead, totally oblivious to the world around her. Everything was happening too fast, people around her were standing up. The trial must have ended and she missed it. Not that it mattered, she knew the outcome.

She didn't listen to the frantic conversations occurring around her as she stood up and began making her way out of the courtroom. Would she attend the execution? She probably should, though she didn't know if she could. She would have to clear a spot in her schedule – her thought process was interrupted by strong arms that wrapped around her from behind.

"I must admit, I didn't expect you to leave so soon," Roy whispered in her ear.

"Well, I didn't exactly want to face you after…"

"After I was given permission to live?"

"What?"

Chuckling, Roy spun her around to face him. "You zoned out, didn't you? Typical." A smirk danced on his lips as the words sunk in.

Roy wasn't going to die?

He could apparently see the confusion on her face. "They found me guilty of all charges except assassination and treason, primarily because you can't betray a government that's betrayed itself."

"Well, you can't have gotten away completely."

"No, I was officially stripped of my rank and I'm on a probation of sorts for a year, but I'm allowed to stay in the military."

"That's … amazing." She couldn't believe it. Roy was alive and well. He was going to stay that way.

"I know it is," His thumb ran down her jawline, finally resting on her chin. He turned her mouth up and kissed her gently, not caring that the world watched. The kiss was chaste and short lived.

Riza smiled at this man, the man she cared about most. "You know we can't carry on like this, with me being your superior officer and all."

Roy sighed, "I know."

"Maybe when you're Fuhrer I'll quit and marry you." Roy looked startled by her proposition, but didn't reject the offer.

"Well, if you promise you'll marry me, I'll become the Fuhrer."

"I swear on my life."

"I'm holding you to that." Smiling, he kissed her again. Not for the last time, but for the last time in several years.

The promise they made that day held firm.


	13. Chapter 13

WINRY

"Bye," Winry hung up the phone, ending her conversation with Colonel Hawkeye. She was done in central, Havoc's squad was as fixed up as it could be. She'd lost Lt. Currey, and watching him take his final breath was going to haunt her forever. As was the notion that she'd caused the pain that he died in. He may have been doomed from the start, but she couldn't shake the idea that she'd killed him.

She was just glad that she didn't have to look at his empty bed any longer.

She was headed back to the Curtis' house; her train was leaving in less than an hour. She needed to get back there, she hadn't heard from Izumi in three days when she received a second telegram, four days after the first, simply stating, "AL IS GETTING WORSE. COME HOME QUICKLY." She just hoped she wasn't too late.

The train ride seemed like an eternity. Hours seemed to drag into days, and she never thought she would arrive. She'd lost Ed, she'd lost Lt. Currey, she didn't need to lose Al as well. She found herself drumming her fingers in impatience, though she knew that wouldn't help anything come together any faster. The most it did was make her more afraid of what was coming.

After what seemed like an eternity, the train finally came to a stop at her station. Looking back on it, she realized she was probably off the train and halfway down the street before the train stopped moving completely. Hard times call for desperate measures, and this would be the most difficult journey she had ever embarked on.

…

"Sensei!" Winry called as she entered the house she had come to think of as home.

"Winry! You made it, I'm so glad!" Izumi came running to her and pulled her into a crushing hug.

"Sensei, I can't breathe!" Winry squeaked. Izumi laughed and let go of her.

"I'm sorry. Should we… do you want to see Al?" Winry nodded, and leaving her bag by the door, she followed Izumi down the hall and to Al's room.

The small, blond boy was curled into a ball on top of his bed, his back to the door. His bones showed clearly under his skin. He looked so feeble and helpless.

"Al?" Winry said as she softly opened the door to his room and stepped inside.

"Winry?" Al's head popped off his pillow and he spun to face her, wincing as he did so. Her heart fell further. His cheeks were sunken in and his shirt hung off his body shoulders in ways it hadn't when she left.

"Are you…okay?"

"Yeah, fine. My head just hurts something awful and I can't move as well as I used to." The smaller boy smiled at her, obviously feigning that everything was okay.

"Do you know why?" Winry almost felt wrong asking the question.

"Sorta. I can remember everything that happened when Ed and I treid to transmute mom. Except whenever I think about it all I see is this blackness and hands grabbing me and pulling me into the nothingness and Ed's screaming my name—" Al stopped, tears pricking in his eyes as he held is head. It burned as if someone was trying to carve their way out of his skull with a dull knife.

Winry sat down on the bed next to Alphonse and pulled him into a hug.

"But I also remember Ed getting pulled in, and I don't know which to believe and they're fighting all the time, and it hurts so bad!" Al sobbed, clinging to Winry's shirt as his knuckles turned white.

They sat like this for a while, taking comfort in each other's presence. It was almost peaceful, except for the looming prospect that Al could open the gate and they possibly could save Ed. Winry fought over whether to bring that up, but the poor boy was so traumatized already, she didn't need to make it worse.

"Winry?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when I promised I would bring Ed back for you?"

"Yes." Winry was wary of where this conversation was headed.

"I'm still going to do it. But I need your help."

…

Al's plan was ridiculous. Borderline insane. There was no telling if it would work, and odds were, it wouldn't.

His plan was this: He would open the gate. Then, because no one knew if you could open the gate from the other side and Al was physically too weak to go through himself, Winry would go through the gate. She had exactly thirty days to find Ed before Al would open the gate again. She HAD to come through then, with or without Ed. If she didn't, Al and Izumi were to presume her dead. The plan was insane. Incredibly risky, too. But it was their last remaining hope. They could only pray that it worked.

"Are you ready for this?" Izumi asked.

"Not really. But what can I do about it?" Winry replied.

"I could go instead," Izumi offered for the third time.

Winry shook her head. "No, you have to stay here and take care of Al. I'll be okay." Winry tried to smile reassuringly, but she knew Izumi wasn't fooled.

The older woman sighed. "If you say so." They headed outside where Al was waiting for them, sitting cross-legged on the soft, grassy lawn. He'd lost so much weight over the past week and a half, or that's what Izumi said. Winry had only been home for two days, but Al was much smaller than when she'd seen him before her trip to Central.

How things had changed since then.

An oppressive awkwardness hung in the air and choked them as they stood around, not knowing how to begin. It was Al that kick started to process.

"Well, should we get started?" He asked, looking hopefully at Winry and Izumi.

Fearing that if she waited any longer she would back out, Winry nodded sharply. She couldn't back out, not now. Swallowing her growing anxiety, she watched as Al stood, revealing a small, white mouse.

"The gate shows up every time a soul is re-instilled," Al explained. "I don't know what I can give it…" he murmured, cradling the dead mouse in his hands.


	14. Chapter 14

LEVI

He knew form the start that it was a bad idea to accept Edward into the Survey Corps. They had no idea who he was, he supposedly came from "another world," was half metal, and could to magic. Levi wondered why Erwin ever welcomed the brat into his custody; they had their hands full as it was. Damn titan shifters making his life just that much more inconvenient.

"Heichou! Should we go after him?" Eren asked, pulling his horse alongside Levi's.

Levi practically snorted at the thought. "Hell no. The brat can die for all I care."

"But some of Erwin's men—"

"Because they're idiots, and Erwin thinks the pip-squeak is worth more than he actually is." If Levi were anyone else, the statement that'd just fallen from his mouth would have startled him, maybe even to forgiveness. However, we all know that Levi never regrets an insult (though he seems to insult those he cares about twice as much as everyone else). His statement _did_ startle Eren, and the young boy sat in a stunned silence for several moments, wondering if Levi felt the same way about him.

Shouting from around them turned Levi's attention to the town toward which Ed had ridden. Though it could barely be seen, a rising tower of steam cascaded into the sky, threatening to block the sun. What the hell was going on now? Levi thought. Surely the blond brat had gotten himself into some deep shit and now everyone was going to pay for it. Why did he ever agree to Eren's idiotic plan of looking for this useless brat who had already caused more problems than he had solved? It seemed Levi's life was full of whys. Why did he join the military in the first place? Why did anyone let Eren into the military? Why had he saved Eren's life on _multiple occasions?_

"Heichou, should we go check now?" Eren asked, interrupting the Corporal's internal rant.

Levi really did not want to go clean up whatever mess Ed had gotten himself into. But he supposed that since the small blond boy was technically under his jurisdiction, he should go at least make sure that the idiot hadn't gotten himself killed. "Fine, we'll go look." Levi turned his horse and spurred it into a gallop. Another why: Why did he get stuck with all the wackjobs?!

He and Eren rode into the broken-down town and immediately headed for the source of the now-diminishing steam. Levi quickly found one of Erwin's men and demanded a full story.

"We don't quite know. Ed let his horse loose, so we followed it until we realized it had no rider. That's when we heard someone scream and then there was titan smoke everywhere," The officer explained. Very helpful. Now he'd confirmed that he was—in fact—surrounded by idiots.

"Heaven help me," he muttered. "Well, have you found Ed yet?" or are you totally useless? He finished in his mind.

"We haven't found him yet, sir." Great. So you are useless, Levi grumbled internally. "But we'll find him once this smoke clears."

"What caused it?" Eren asked, coughing as he inhaled some of the thick, white smog.

"Titan, most likely. Though I've never seen this much steam before," The officer paused. "It's getting clearer, though. You couldn't see your own hand in front of your face a few minutes ago."

"I found him!" the yell came from several meters away, where the fog was densest (but noticeably clearing). Levi turned his horse and urged it into a trot, Eren close behind. Sure enough, as they neared the source of the cry a building came into view where the little blond brat was waving his arms like a damned idiot. Were he anyone else or had any sense, he would have jumped down by now.

"Corporal!" Ed yelled. He'd seen him. Now Levi had to deal with him. He rode to the base of the building.

"Yes?" Levi made sure to force every ounce of annoyance he could muster into his voice. The brat needed to know just how much trouble he'd caused everyone.

"Did I kill it? Is it safe?" What a dumb question.

"Yes, it's dead. But you caused a bigger commotion that Eren ever has and you've potentially endangered the entire Recon Corps. You don't own this entire damn planet, you can't just _run off"_ The portion concerning Eren was a lie. But his lecture seemed to have the desired effect. Ed didn't look defeated (he never did. The kid never gave up), but he looked angry, and his speechlessness meant that Levi had won the argument.

"Ed, what's going on?" Levi didn't recognize the voice, or the worried face that accompanied it. She was blond with large blue eyes, the clothes she was wearing were, to put it lightly, horribly outlandish and like nothing the Corporal had ever seen. How had she gotten out here?

"Who the hell are you?" Eren asked the question before Levi could. The younger boy put enough venom into the question to make the corporal proud.

The girl seemed taken aback by the question, and she stood speechless; but, to be fair, she wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to answer because Ed snapped back at Eren at breakneck speed. "Her name is Winry, you bastard."

"You say that like you expect me to know it!" Eren spat back.

"Actually, I stuck 'bastard' on the end because you need to learn some respect," Ed replied, equally as bitterly.

"Ed, you don't have to defend me!" The girl—Winry—said, her voice scolding. The movement was small enough to evade notice, but Ed shrank against the words.

"But Winry—"

"No buts," she turned to Levi, "Are they always like this?"

"Typically worse," Levi responded. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to like this girl.

"That figures." She sat down and swung her legs over the edge of the hole in the house. Taking a deep breath, she jumped down the decently-sized distance. Ed wordlessly followed her down, both landing neatly (or not so neatly, in Ed's case) on the ground.

"I hate to ask, but—"

"Did we find your horse? Yes. We cleaned up your bloody mess. Your horse is over there." Levi gestured back where they'd come from, in answer to Ed's half-asked question.

Edward nodded, throwing a nasty glance at Eren before walking away in his odd, lopsided manner. Winry walked alongside him.

"Are you limping?" She asked.

"No."

"Don't lie to me, I can _see_ that you're limping. Ed, what happened?"

"Nothing! I'm fine."

"Edward Elric you tell me _right now_." Levi definitely liked this girl. She seemed to be the only one (besides Eren) who could irk the boy.

"I just grew. That's all." Winry didn't seem satisfied with his answer, an her face communicated it clearly. "I'm telling the truth. I just grew a little too tall for my automail—" he stopped talking as she grabbed his right arm, tore off his glove, and pushed his sleeve up to reveal the metal hand and arm he worked so hard to hide from everyone.

"What have you done to my automail?!" Winry yelled.

"It's not your automail!"

Eren was snickering something awful; honestly, Levi didn't blame him.

"You've completely destroyed it!"

"I have not, it works fine." Ed yanked his arm back from Winry and waggled his fingers in front of her face. His argument would have been valid, but his metal pinky finger didn't move. Obviously Ed noticed this, "dammit," he muttered as his hand dropped to his side and his face fell. Winry looked plenty proud of herself in calling out Ed's bluff. "To my defense, no one here's ever seen automail in their life and has no idea how to fix it," he mumbled.

"Can't you just use alchemy?" Winry asked, exasperated.

"If I could, every automail mechanic ever would be out of business," Ed replied.

Winry was quiet for a moment. "True, true."

They'd found Ed's horse and hoisted him and the blond girl onto it before riding out of the deserted town. Watching Ed ride out, Winry clinging to him for dear life, Levi marveled at how fraking messed up the brat was. He showed up out of nowhere, his girlfriend showed up out of nowhere, he could do magic and called it science (pfft. As if), nad to top it all off, he had barely functional metal limbs. How did the kid ever survive anything?

They joined up with the larger group, and Erwin immediately rode over to Levi. "What caused the disturbance?"

"Edward's girlfriend showed up and nearly got eaten by a titan," was Levi's reply.

"Interesting…" Erwin glanced in Ed's direction to see the blonde girl riding behind him on the horse. "Did she come from wherever he came from?"

"Probably. I got the impression that she built his metal limbs as well."

"She built them? That's quite impressive. We could use someone like her," Erwin mused.

"If you keep saying that, the Recon Corps will be overrun." Levi muttered.

"Lighten up," Erwin chuckled, "or we'll all start reflecting your attitude and that would be the _real_ disaster."

Levi grumbled a response before falling back to keep an eye on the new recruits. He would never admit it to anyone, but he was curious as to how all the younger brats would react to the new girl. He was not disappointed.

"Elric, you still haven't told us your girlfriend's name," Jean teased.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!" both the blonde's protests were spoken in sync, making everyone around them laugh.

"Could've fooled me," Reiner smirked.

"Though I must say, you've got good taste," Ymir said.

"Um, thanks?" Winry stammered.

"No, she's talking to me," Ed said, looking away from them as Winry's eyes widened in realization. She looked sharply over at Ymir before realizing that was rude and turning her head away, blushing.

Ymir laughed, "Hate to burst your bubble and all, but I'm taken."

"No, no… I didn't, um… good for you…" Winry replied, her blush deepening to crimson.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to her," Ed said, flashing a smile at Ymir, who playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

"Are you brats doing your job or do I have to do it for you?" Levi said, realizing their conversation was just getting boring.

"But there isn't anything to look for. The only titan we've seen is the one Ed killed." Eren said.

"Doesn't matter, keep an out, or you'll be bait next time."

Eren opened his mouth to argue, but Ed beat him to it. "Dost thou dare defy the Sun King?" Ed smirked, not realizing that no one understood him.

"I—why is he the sun king?" Armin asked, his nose scrunched up as he tried to make sense of Ed's statement.

Ed looked around at them, baffled. "Really? None of you? I mean, c'mon guys, Louis XIV! King of France, built Versailles, was super short and punky kind of like—" Ed looked over at Levi, realizing he was still there and glaring daggers at the short, blond man. His death stare shut Ed up pretty well, seeing as he looked down at his horse's neck, his mouth tightly closed.

Levi didn't know if Winry was bringing out this sassy side of him, but he sure as hell didn't want to deal with it.

A final why: Why did he have to deal with people?


	15. Chapter 15

MIKASA

Turmoil was not an appropriate word to describe it. Uproar, maybe. It still did not cut it. Her heart was screaming in her ears and she didn't know how to stop it. She couldn't process these thoughts into words and it seemed that it was killing her. Everyone called her strong, praised her for her resilience, but right now she was swallowed by her own weakness, drowning in these emotions she could not control.

She sat on the roof of the castle, legs dangling over the side, trying to figure everything out. It did not seem to be working, and she only became more despaired as time went on. She stared at the glowing horizon, watching the sun sink behind the trees.

"Mind if I join you?" Mikasa had not noticed that anyone had come up behind her and was startled by the still-unfamiliar voice.

"No, I don't mind," She stuttered as Winry took a seat beside her.

"It's a beautiful sunset," Winry mused, almost to herself. Mikasa nodded in agreement. "They were never this clear back home. Too much pollution."

"Pollution?"

"Yeah. Um… like black smoke that clouds the sky and smells really bad."

"Oh…"

They sat in silence for a while, neither knowing what to say. Mikasa found she was content to sit in silence, the presence of the other girl did not bother her. Winry, on the other hand, seemed restless and eager to fill the silence with words, even if they were meaningless.

"Are you and Eren together?"

"What? No!" the question had cut through Mikasa's peace as a hammer against thin glass, easily and without any hope of reconstruction. Winry didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, sorry to have asked. That was rude. You just seem to care about him a great deal, or, that's what I gathered today."

"Well, I mean, um…" Mikasa's cheeks flushed pink as she struggled to find the worlds to defend her position. No one had ever been able to see through her emotional wall. "Let's just say that he doesn't think of me the same way."

Winry laughed softly, "I know that feeling all too well."

"But surely you and Ed…?"

"No. He doesn't see me as anything more than a sister." Winry's voice hinted at a deep and prolonged sadness that had been eating away at her heart for years.

"But you with he would? See you as more than a sister, I mean," She clarified, noticing the blonde's initial look of confusion.

"You could say that." Winry turned the question back on Mikasa. "What about Eren? I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be all over you."

"Well because," Mikasa could feel herself flushing pink again, "because he's more family than that." She internally scolded herself for the answer she'd given. It always was her fallback to say they were family because surely that's all Eren saw her as.

Winry chuckled quietly, "I get the impression that we're in basically the same boat." She stared wistfully at the ground beneath her feet, the orange light from the sinking sun reflecting off her thick, golden hair.

"It certainly appears that way." Mikasa said, letting the comfortable silence drape around them like a blanket. The roaring in her ears had subdued, and she found that rational thoughts started to come easier to her distressed mind. Maybe it was just talking to someone that was helping. She had kept everything bottled up for so long that she had forgotten what it was like to confide in someone. Eren had long been her confident, but as of late there were things she simply couldn't tell him.

"Mind if I ask a personal question?" Winry asked as Mikasa finally noticed that the blonde was watching her.

"Um, sure." Mikasa stuttered. Why was she giving all her personal information to a girl she barely knew, and had, in fact, met only a few hours ago? The idea, when stated plainly, seemed ridiculous. Preposterous, even. But for a reason she could not place Mikasa did not mind the thought of pouring her heart out to this girl. They were, as Winry had mentioned, in the same situation.

"You looked troubled when I came up here. Like something horrible was eating away at you. what was it?"

Winry had to be the most perceptive person she'd ever met. There was no other way to explain it. She could read Mikasa like a book, and no one had ever been able to do that before. She knew that Winry had noticed that her question had taken her off guard; her stunned silence was enough to testify of that. She fought with the immediate desire to tell Winry _everything_. She had, after all, only known the girl for a few hours; there should not have been any logical reason why she deserved to know anything.

But she wanted to tell her. She wanted to tell her everything about how in pain she felt when she Saw Eren sitting by Annie's crystal, how betrayed she felt when he said he didn't need her, how she wasn't strong enough, how she was so scared of losing him. She couldn't lose any more of her family…

"Mikasa? I'm sorry, you don't have to answer." Winry looked away, a light pink blush tinging her cheeks. "I guess I got ahead of myself. I've only known you since this afternoon, I don't really have to right to ask for your tragic backstory. I'm sorry."

"No, you're fine. I just don't want to talk about it just yet." Mikasa answered softly.

"That's okay," Winry said, her smile lighting up her eyes in the still-orange glow of the night sky. "Hey, do you know where I can get some…mechanical stuff?" Winry asked, and Mikasa was immensely grateful for the change of subject.

"I don't know myself, but I'm sure Armin will be willing to help you."

"Armin… he's the blond one who looks twelve, right?"

Mikasa giggled quietly, "Yeah, that's Armin."

"He should grow his hair out. Maybe that'll age him," Winry said, staring at the fading orange in the sky, a playful grin turning up the corners of her mouth and lighting her eyes.

"Maybe you should suggest it," Mikasa said, allowing herself to smile. Why was she so comfortable around this girl?

"I'll definitely consider it."

…

"Hey, Armin!" Mikasa caught the smaller blond boy by his arm as he was leaving the dining room.

"Yes?" he turned to face her, grey-blue eyes meeting hers expectantly.

"Has Winry talked to you?"

"Winry…Ed's girlfriend, right? No, she hasn't."

"She's not Ed's—" Mikasa stopped herself, wondering why she was defending the blonde girl. She shook her head, "Never mind. She wanted to talk to you."

"Oh. Why?"

"Something mechanical. That's what she said, anyway."

"Really?" Armin's eyes lit up in excitement. "Maybe I can ask her about Ed's arm! I'd love to learn how to do that." He turned and ran off, presumably to find Winry. "Thanks Mikasa!" He called over his shoulder as he left.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?" Asked a voice from behind her. She cast a quick glance back to see that it was Ed, his eyes still half-closed as he fought to wake up.

"He's trying to find your girlfriend." She almost smiled at her choice of words. Just a moment ago she'd denied their relationship.

"She's not my girlfriend." Ed mumbled before his eyes shot open. "Wait, what does he want with her?!"

"Relax, I think they're just going to have a mechanical geek-out." Mikasa said.

Ed absent-mindedly rubbed his metal arm through the sleeve of his jacket. "Oh o-okay. They can do that, I guess." His nose suddenly scrunched up in confusion. "How do you know so much, anyway?"

"Winry and I were talking last night."

"Oh _that's_ where she was. Geez, she's made more friends than I have and she hasn't even been here for a whole day." he muttered.

"Maybe because she's not a disagreeable midget." Jean said, walking up behind Ed.

"Shut it, horseface. I'm not short."

"You're shorter than Levi, that's pretty tiny."

" _I am not short!"_ Ed spun on the taller boy, fists clenched and poised to hit him.

"You're just as bad as Eren," Jean moaned. "But short enough that I can't take you seriously. So, as much as I'd like to, I'm not going to fight you." He shrugged.

"So help me Jean I will end your sorry ass."

"Oh will you now? I didn't know you could see it from all the way down there? Or is there a reason you're looking?" Jean taunted, eyebrows raised in a questioning smirk.

"Of course you would make this gay, Kirschtein." Eren said, walking up behind Mikasa. She hadn't wanted to make a scene, but it appears she really didn't have a choice in the matter.

"You seem pretty confident in that statement, Jaeger. Why, I wonder, is that?" Mikasa winced internally, she could see what was coming next from a mile away, and it wasn't pretty.

"Marco was pretty convincing evidence, I'd say."

"That was a dirty move, Jaeger." Jean growled, his voice lowering considerably to add to the implied threat.

"He's right, Eren. Don't use Marco as leverage." Mikasa said, lightly touching his elbow.

"I have no idea who this 'Marco' guy is. Anybody care to explain?" Ed asked, looking around in exasperation.

"It doesn't matter. Just drop it." Jean was glaring daggers at the two smaller boys before he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Well that only added to my curiosity." Ed stated plainly, staring after Jean.

"How do you not know about Marco?" Eren asked, mildly dumbfounded at his cousin's ignorance.

"Maybe because no one bothered to tell me."

"Marco was Jean's best friend. He died a few months ago when we recaptured Trost." Mikasa said, avoiding both sets of eyes that were trained on her.

"Ah." Edward said. "That really was a bitch move, Eren. Bringing up dead people is crossing the line."

"I know, I know." Eren said, looking hard at the ground. They hadn't brought up Marco since Edward had arrived. This mention was going to start something, and Mikasa could already tell it wasn't going to be pretty.


	16. Chapter 16

EDWARD

Needless to say, the trend present the first day of Winry's arrival continued, and she easily hit it off with seemingly everyone in the Recon Corps. Even Levi, Mr. I-hate-everyone-stay-away-from-me, seemed almost fond of her. Ed did not know why it bugged him so much. She was her own, independent person. She could have friends if she wanted. In fact, that weird, geeky bond she'd made with Armin had actually benefited him (it had resulted in the creation of new automail limbs made from the same material as 3DMG, which meant he had much lighter, sturdier, and more agile limbs. So he was significantly less awkward while flying). So he had no idea where this pang of jealousy came from every time he saw her chatting in a carefree manner with the other recruits.

He was watching her from across the room as she laughed and talked with Ymir, Christa, and Armin when he noticed someone walk up behind him.

"Are you trying to kill them with your mind, Elric?" Levi said as he took a seat beside the slightly smaller blond boy.

"What? N-no," Ed stammered as he realized that he had indeed been glaring daggers at the small group.

"Don't pretend you're not jealous, brat. Everyone can see right through you." Levi scoffed, taking a drink of his morning coffee.

"I'm not jealous," Ed said, feeling oddly attacked.

"Don't deny it." Levi turned his head so he was facing the same direction as Ed, and thus avoided eye contact. "You'd think that being away from her for so long would have clued you in at least a little."

Ed knew that was a direct attack, and some part of him admitted that the corporal was right. Maybe he was jealous, but the increasingly stupid portion of his mind decided that if would be a good idea to counterattack. "You sound like you're talking from experience, Mr. Lance Corporal I-have-no-emotions-and-I-hate-everyone," Ed said, barely containing a snicker.

"And if I am?"

Honestly, Ed had not expected that response. It caught him off-guard and he sat there with his mouth hanging halfway open, not saying anything. In general, making himself look like an idiot.

"You should shut your mouth; you'll catch flies," Levi said, still not bothering to look at Ed. A small smirk played on his lips.

Ed abruptly shut his mouth, still trying to process the implications of Levi's statement. "Who? What—?" Ed said. He shook his head, as if that would clue him into what the hell was going on.

"What makes you think I would tell you anything?" the corporal said, eyeing Ed expectantly for a fleeting moment.

"Because…" Ed faltered as he fought to find a reason why Levi should tell him anything. "…because you told me that there was something, when you could have just blown me off." Ed's confidence grew with every word—as did his rapidity of speech. "So that means that you intended to tell me from the beginning, so spill." Ed was actually quite proud of himself.

"I'll have to admit, I did not think you'd catch that, dense as you are," Levi mused.

"Wait, so I was right?" Ed said, his eyes wide.

"Her name was Petra. She was young, talented, ambitious. I can't say that it was an accident that she ended up on my squad. We both knew that you can't grow to attached to people in this line of work. Maybe that's why we never said anything." Levi's eyes were glazed over as if he was looking into another world. In many ways, Ed supposed he was.

"You're talking about her in the past tense, as if she's—"

Ed was cut off as Levi said, "She died three months ago."

Ed was quiet. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, for once in his life, at a loss for words.

"Don't apologize to me, brat. Just do what I never could. Go tell her what she means to you before she's gone forever." Levi stood abruptly and walked away, leaving Ed staring, baffled, at the air in front of him.

…

"Ed, this is a horrible idea," Winry said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, maybe, but Winry, this is really important to me," Ed protested.

"How can this be important to you? You don't even know this 'Petra' girl, and you've said on multiple occasions that you despise the Lance Corporal."

Ed sighed, he didn't really want to explain his reasoning to Winry, but at the same time, the whole point of his reasoning was that he would tell her his reasoning. Ultimately, it was a paradox. "Look, Winry. Levi…told me some things that made my life a whole lot better and less confusing and maybe I just want to repay him."

"What on earth could he have told you that would make you want to do this?!" Winry said, truly exasperated with her friend. "You're putting your life on the line here, Ed!"

"It's not human transmutation. I'll be _fine."_

"Yes, but it's not very far departed from that. And we both know how much Alchemy takes out of you in this world."

"You don't think I know that? I'm not a damn freaking idiot."

"I'm not saying you are, I'm just saying that I worry about you!"

"I don't need worried over like I'm a clumsy child! You're not my mother!"

"Fine then! Go ahead and kill yourself, see if I care!" Winry shouted.

"Maybe I will! And you can worry about Armin and maybe you two will get married and have seven kids and I'm sure you'll be happy, _see if I care_!" Ed yelled in return, his hands balled into tight, strained fists at his sides.

Winry stopped. She was about to yell a retort, but she stopped. "Is this what this is about?" she asked. Her voice was quieter, probing.

"Is what what this is about?" Ed spat, his fists clenching harder.

"Ed, Armin and I are just friends," Winry said, taking a step toward him. She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder reassuringly, but he pushed it away.

"That's what you always said about us." Ed raised his voice again, clearly defensive.

"Then shouldn't the fact that we're still friends mean something to support that?" Winry was starting to become frustrated again, and it was showing through her voice.

"No, it really shouldn't! Because I fell in love with you, dammit! Who's to say he won't do the same? Who's to say you won't choose him over me?!"

"Wait." Winry put her hands up as she took a moment to process before dropping them and searching Ed's quickly reddening face. "You fell in…"

"Yes," Ed said before she could finish. "I think I have loved you for a very long time, but I've just been too stupid to notice." He stared fixatedly at his feet.

"Ed, I…" Winry stammered. "I don't know what to say."

"It's okay. It was a stupid thing to say, I'm sorry."

"Edward Elric, you idiot," Winry said. She grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss. Their faces crashed together quickly and awkwardly, both of them desperate to communicate years of silence into a single kiss. They broke panting quietly, their foreheads still pressed together. "I love you too," Winry whispered.

…

"Your plan still isn't going to work," Winry said.

"Just go get the Corporal." Ed pushed her out the door of the small room.

"You'd better not be dead when I get back in here," She said as he closed the door in her face.

He walked over to the transmutation circle he'd drawn. He looked at the intersecting lines of the circle, tracing some of them with his fingers, double checking it all to make sure it would work for the feat he was trying to accomplish. The seven-pointed star inside the circle differed from the one he'd used on Al in a few ways, but not many, and the resemblance was making him shudder.

At this point, there was no turning back, so before he could think about the possible consequences too much, he clapped his hands together, pulling all the buzzing in the air (that he'd come to think of as 'alchemic energy') to the tips of his fingers. This was going to be a delicate process. The "alchemic energy" was in fact, the souls of those who had died in this reality—for some reason they weren't going through The Gate. His task was to separate them and sort through them until he found Petra's soul. A girl he'd never met. The looming task seemed almost impossible, but her soul _was_ just floating around (if he hadn't burned it up already), so it shouldn't be terribly hard to find, right?

He lightly touched his fingers to the edge of the circle and watched as the lines he had etched in chalk began to glow a brilliant, electric blue. The ethereal glow cast strange, dancing shadows on the wall. He closed his eyes and focused on giving the energy pulsing through him a form. The energy began leaving him. He opened his eyes, gasping as the feeling of draining overtook him. It felt as if the very breath was being sucked from his lungs. Shadowy figures danced around him. Some clawed at his skin, ripped at his hair. Others dragged invisible nails down the walls, wailing with all the power of agonizing madness.

Trying to choke air back into his deprived lungs, he gasped Petra's names. He hoped that, if he could find her, he could banish the other souls and possibly live through this experience. "Petra?" he called again. His voice was thin, raspy. He doubted that it carried the force or volume he needed it to. The screeching from the surrounding spirits grew louder. Their anguished wails raking his ears like claws. He tried to call out again: "Petra? Levi needs—" he choked, his body heaving in dry coughs. "Levi needs you!" it was a desperate and last-ditch effort. The chances that she would respond to that were minimal, but then again, the chances that she would respond at all were minimal. None the less, one of the indistinct spirits dancing around him stopped and began stepping towards him. "Petra?" The spirit stepped into the transmutation circle, singling itself out from the masses around him.

The spirit's indistinct form began to ripple and gain definition. Her pale, rose-colored hair was the first to gain shape. Soon followed her kind, smiling eyes and her delicate, yet calloused hands. Her green cloak was stained dark red near her neck, and a large scar spread across her skin under the ruined cloak. "Can I help you?" She said, her voice ringing above the screams.

Shocked into silence, Ed quickly picked up his left hand, thus banishing the surrounding spirits, leaving him alone with Petra's soul. It took Ed an awkwardly long time to realize that she'd asked him a question.

"Um, yes, actually," he said, sitting back to more comfortably look at her. The fingers of his right hand still rested on the edge of the circle, tying her to this world. "I need you to, well…" Ed frantically racked his brain, trying to figure out how to word his request. "…talk to Levi. He…I think he needs to see you again."

There was a pounding of footsteps on the other side of the door before it was thrown open. "Edward, what the hell is going on?" Corporal Rivaille yelled as he marched into the room. "Winry came down and said you needed me and the next thing I know there's this godforsaken screaming coming from this room. I absolutely refuse to clean up any more of your shit, you little—" Levi stopped short, his mouth still open in the formation of his next word.

"Hello, Corporal." Petra smiled. "I see you haven't changed."

"What the hell did you do, Elric?" Levi said. His voice was barely above a whisper, and his eyes never left Petra's face.

"I, uh, gave her soul a visible form so you could see her," Ed replied.

"How do I know this isn't some trick?" Levi spat.

"Because I know that you usually sleep on your right side and when you're having a nightmare you'll hold the closest thing to you up against your chest. Also, despite everything you might say to the contrary, you don't actually mind Hanji's company," Petra said.

"Didn't you say there was some rule against bringing people back?" Levi said.

"Yes, but I didn't bring her back," Ed said.

"I'm just here for a few, all-too-short minutes." Petra's smile turned sad.

"Oh. I—I don't know what to say," Levi said. He took a tentative step toward his dead friend.

"You don't have to say anything," Petra said, her eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears.

"Dammit, no. I'm not going to do that again." Levi's gaze briefly flitted away from Petra's face, betraying his own uncertainty and discomfort in the present circumstances.

"Levi, you never needed to. be both knew—"

"Doesn't that make you feel guilty, though?" Levi's head snapped back up, his eyes piercing Petra's. "That you didn't say anything? That we never…"

"I always knew that, my darling Corporal. I knew you didn't express such things verbally, so I was content with just knowing."

"I had to face your father." Levi looked away, into the dark, dusty corner of the room. "He kept talking about you and how much you wanted to get married. I had to tell him—oh God, Petra. I've never felt weak in my life, but I wanted to cry. Did you…" he looked back at her, slowly, maybe reluctantly. "Did you really want to marry me?"

"Of course I did. I wouldn't have told my father if I hadn't right?" Petra's chest heaved in a half-hearted laugh as the tears finally escaped her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Levi. I didn't mean to leave you. I was going to stay with you forever."

"And I would have taken you."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Petra shrieked, throwing her head back as her misty body was caught, frozen, tense, and obviously in pain. Levi lunged forward, trying to grab her, but his hand passed right through her and she dissolved before his eyes.

Ed was not much better off. Violent convulsions shook his frame. He clutched his chest, desperately trying to pull air into his lungs. Winry was at his side in a second. She cradled his head, feeling over his upper body for anything she could do to help (but ultimately finding nothing).

The door burst open and Jean and Eren ran in, only adding to the madness

The room went black.

(and we all know, dear readers, that that's not quite an accurate description. Let's try again.)

The room disappeared, leaving only an empty blackness to surround them. A large structure loomed over them. The intricate, carved patterns burning into their retinas. The breath was gone from their lungs; the five people had no choice but to stare at it, speechless.

Naturally, Eren broke the silence.

"What the ever-loving _frak_ is that?!"

"The Gate," Ed said. "The door between worlds. The most powerful, all-consuming, and terrifying structure to grace our worlds."

"Do you think Petra…?" Winry asked, glancing at Ed, who had struggled to his feet.

"I don't know." Ed shook his head. Winry grabbed his hand.

The doors creaked open revealing the interior. The thousands of eyes stared at them. Some blinked, some bore teeth. They remained oddly quiet.

"Is this, like, your ride home?" Jean asked. His voice quivered slightly.

Before Ed or Winry could answer, a voice rang out from the darkness.

"Edward! Brother! Ed can you hear me?!"

"Is that…is that Al?" Ed gasped. "Al! Al is that you?"

"Yes!" the voice rang out like a bell, singing through the blackness. "You can come home now, Ed!"

Winry squeezed his hand. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" She smiled at him. He smiled back. Everything was going to be okay. They were going home.

"Wait."

Ed and Winry turned back to look at Jean, who was flushed an odd shade of pink.

"Can I come with you?"

"Why the hell would you want to?" Levi asked.

"I just…" Jean looked down at his feet. "I don't have any reason to stay."

Eren groaned. "If you're going to make this about Marco—"

"I dare you to lose the only person you've ever loved. Come talk to me after that happens. Maybe then you'll understand why I have nothing left to live for. Marco was my everything, and now I can't even remember the sound of his voice. Starting over really doesn't sound any worse than staying here, where I see him wherever I look. Where I keep expecting to see him…" Jean choked and looked back down at his feet.

Winry released Ed's hand and ran over to him, enveloping his long, wiry body in a hug. "Of course you can come with us—but we have to hurry." She released him and ran back to Ed, Jean following close behind.

Eren shook his head. "I can't believe you, Kirschtein. But go ahead. Not like I'll miss you."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"We've got to go, now." Ed said, glancing warily at the gate.

"Be careful," Levi said. "And, thank you." He nodded at Ed.

"It was the least I could do." Ed said. He looked back to his two companions. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Jean muttered.

Winry grabbed his hand again. "I was born ready." She smiled at him, and he saw the skies in her eyes. Skies untouched with clouds, skies that promised the future, skies that held untold stories, skies he knew he could spend years studying. And he knew he would never have to let go again.

Ed grinned, and the three of them stepped into the void.


	17. Epilogue

JEAN

He really should have thought this through better. I mean, it could definitely, very easily, be worse. At least Truth (the thing that lied inside the Gate—honestly he would do anything to forget him, he was terrifying) had left him with a knowledge of the language. He could communicate with people, but that was about it. He didn't have a job (he didn't really have the skills for it, he'd been training for the military since he was what, 13?) so he didn't have money; and lucky for him, he'd been wearing his uniform when they left so he was stuck in a white shirt, white pants, and unconventionally tall leather boots. Couple that with three days of very little food (some people _had_ taken pity on him) and poor hygiene and he was certainly a spectacle.

He certainly regretted not getting out with Ed and Winry. But his silly, deluded mind figured that it wouldn't really be "starting over" if he still knew people, so he opted to stay in the gate after they got out and ride the "slingshot" further into the past. (Al—the weird voice who supposedly was Ed's brother—had explained it to them, something about reaching through time so the velocity on the return journey was going to be huge and push the stop point into the past so they had to get out early, Jean didn't really understand). Now he was stranded in an alternate dimension, and the two people he might know probably hadn't been born yet.

That's where he was when he saw him.

Tall. Burnt skin. Chocolate eyes. More freckles than there were stars. Maybe his hair was longer and less well kempt. Maybe he had a little more scruff on his chin. Maybe he was thinner—his face gaunt and his eyes framed with shadows that told stories of a hundred sleepless nights.

 _But it was still him._ His friend, his love, his angel, his _Marco._ Ed had warned him about doppelgangers (their alternate universe selves). Jean had not thought much of it considering he was going so far into the past. But this was Marco. He was here in this godforsaken country, in 1879. And Jean could not have been more thankful.

Marco hadn't seen him yet. He was sitting across the way at a table in front of a small café. He had a cup of steaming liquid in his hands, and he took small sips occasionally. He stared forward absently.

God, he looked awful.

Jean almost didn't notice when Marco looked up. _Almost._ But he did. They locked eyes; Jean tried to hide the fear in his (if there was a Marco, there was bound to be another Jean) while Marco's eyes widened in surprise. He stood up, abandoning his drink, and stumbled toward Jean, mouthing a name he didn't recognize. Jean was frozen. There was no way any of this could be real.

Jean stood when Marco reached him. Neither of them spoke. Marco reached out, his hand shaking with his breath. His fingers brushed the air near Jean's face, but he pulled his hand back. Jean grabbed it before he could properly think through the consequences.

"Vato?" he breathed.

That name again. The one he'd mouthed. The one that was _not_ Jean. But this was obviously Marco, and he was Jean, and… He nodded, only then away that his eyes were beginning to water. There was time for explanations later.

Marco moved his hand again Slowly, tentatively, as if he was afraid. He cupped Jean's cheek with his palm, his eyes roving over every inch of his face.

"You were…They told me you were dead." Marco's voice was barely above a whisper. It wavered, threatening to crack.

Jean still held Marco's hand. He moved it from his face, curling his fingers around Marco's and bringing his knuckles to his lips. He kissed his hand softly, never breaking eye contact. "Well, I'm here now, darling." He was walking a thin line. He didn't actually know if "Vato" and this Marco had been dating. Furthermore, he didn't know this Marco's name. And if "Vato" was dead, well that both made everything much easier and much harder. Because it meant he didn't have to fight for Marco's affections, but it also mean that he had to deal with all the complications of being well, dead. Legally. Or at least looking like a dead person.

"But…" Marco shook his head, pulling his hand free of Jean's grasp. "It's not… you're not—" he stopped, his eyes going wide. "You're not a ghost, are you?"

Jean couldn't help but laugh. "You've touched me, haven't you?"

Marco cracked a smile. "You win this one."

"You never should have doubted me, Marco." The name was out before he could stop it. the smile dropped off Marco's face almost instantly. Jean felt himself going pale. "Oh God—I mean, shit I'm so sorry." Jean cursed, looking down at his feet.

"No, no, don't apologize." Marco's brow furrowed. "Just, who's Marco? Who are you? And…why do you look like him?"

"Well, it's a long fraking story," Jean said, rubbing the back of his neck. "If you have time for me."

"Of course." Marco blushed and looked away, clearing his throat. "I mean, yeah sure, I can make time."

"Thank you," Jean paused.

"Simon."

"Thank you, Simon."

. . .

Simon had taken everything in stride. Jean was surprised that he didn't seem more phased. But he'd just nodded, asking questions whenever Jean wasn't clear. He didn't press the matter when Jean skimmed over the details of Marco's death. When Jean finished talking he'd just smiled and said, "You sound just like him—Vato. It's nice. To hear you talk. I can almost, it's like…"

"Like he's here again," Jean finished for him. "I know." He reached across the table and squeezed Simon's hand. To his relief, Simon didn't pull away.

Simon's story was just as sad. He and Vato had been friends since childhood, and Simon had had romantic feelings for him almost as long. When they were 16 Vato faked his age and enlisted in the Military. Not 6 months later he was reported missing in actions, presumed dead. It had been three months since Simon had been informed of his friend's untimely death. Evidentally Simon never had the guts to confess his feelings, even though he suspected Vato felt the same.

Now he would never know.

Simon had let him hold his hand across the small round table through his story. He ran his thumb across the back of Simon's hand as he talked.

Eventually, Simon stood, his hand slipping out of Jean's.

"You don't have anywhere to stay, do you?" he asked.

Jean shook his head. Pitiful, really.

Simon smiled. Jean's heart lurched. He'd missed that smile more than he could express. "You can stay with me then." Simon blushed. "You know, if you want."

He didn't have to ask twice.

. . .

They moved delicately around each other at first. Manners, niceties, unnecessary politeness. They didn't know where their boundaries started or ended. Of course Jean fit perfectly into all the clothes Vato left behind; and while it was nice to have something different to wear, jean could tell just how much it pained Simon to see him like that. A perfect, painful replica. So he vowed to get himself a new wardrobe as soon as he had the money.

Speaking of, he and Simon (mostly Simon, actually) had pulled some stings and now Jean was in the military, holding the same position Vato had previously. He was, in all actuality, impersonating Vato. Simon had called in a few favors and now his story was that he had wandered in a partially amnesic daze back to his home town after his entire squadron was killed.

Jean felt awful about it. Having the work was nice, and though this military required very different skills, he was still military trained and it wasn't hard to readjust. But he was called "Vato" by everyone that knew him. Training himself to respond to that name had taken time, but it certainly wasn't the worst part. The worst part was watching Simon's heartache as he settled into his role. The worst part was watching Simon clap his hand over his mouth and curse a string of apologies every time he accidentally called Jean 'Vato'. The worst part was breaking Simon's heart for being the person he could never have back.

Months passed like this, one heartbreaking day after another while they tried to settle into each other's lives. They found a medium, a ground where they knew they could both stand, smile, and enjoy each other without crossing any forbidden lines. Jean wished they didn't have to dance around each other like this. But he took what he could, making Simon laugh whenever he was near and basking in the sunshine glow of the mirror of his lost friend.

Years passed like the months, and slowly, Jean began to put everything behind him. Titans, the Recon Corps, the life he had almost made for himself in that other world. It was shadows compared to the life he was living now. He and Simon had eventually warmed to each other and were now living in a bliss neither of them could have achieved without the other. Jean was advancing very quickly in military rank. Simon teased him about it a lot (you care more about work than you do about me, etc.). Jean had distrusted alchemists for a very long time (he still did). Especially state alchemists—they thought they were invincible. ("I'll show them. You can't rule the world with a snap of your fingers, it's just not natural." Simon would laugh. "You're not _still_ going off about Mustang, are you? He's a very talented young man, just let him be.")

As luck would have it, he was eventually stationed under Colonel Roy Mustang (but this wouldn't happen for years, not until Jean was nearly fifty). He would be the oldest member of the colonel's squad, and would be constantly tormented by younger, more reckless people. One of them would be named Jean, even. ("Jean Havoc?" Simon would laugh. "I couldn't think of a more perfect name for you or your little brother!"). That year would prove to be a more trying year than any they had ever experienced. The Fuhrer would be overthrown, they would stage an insurrection in the north, and the entire governmental structure would crumble.

But he did not know that. Today he was 44 years old, happily married to the love of his life, and part of the security team over the state alchemist entrance exam. This was routine. He was a part of this every year (mostly because Simon said it would give him an appreciation for the art, so far Jean had found none), so he didn't expect this year to be any different. That is, until he saw a tiny, blond boy bouncing up to the registry. His hair was tied back in a short, messy braid, and his red coat draped around his arms and back, brushing the ends of his white gloves. He was followed by a tall man(?) in a suit of armor. The taller man(?) was fretting (in a boy's voice. A voice that hadn't gone through puberty yet, but was still unmistakably male) something awful, while the short boy grinned and charged into the arena.

Jean (though he never went by that anymore, even Simon called him Vato), couldn't help but wander further into the arena to watch the exam. The first couple people showed skill, but nothing in comparison to the fire the small, blond boy possessed. He ripped through the exam with flying colors (though the suit of armor (his brother? Was this Al?) did not).

When he was awarded the title of State Alchemist, Jean realized that this was it. This was where everything began.


End file.
